Norton Internet Security 2010 Review and Discount Coupon Code

Norton Internet Security 2010 has more remarkable changes in its functionality than its form. The appearance of the latest version of Norton Internet security is quite similar to the previous version. There is however a much better security system in place that is based on reputation. Due to the similarity in appearance to the earlier version of Norton Internet security one maybe inclined to think that not many changes have been made to the security suite. This couldn't be further from the truth. A reputation based security system that the company has deployed is much more effective in tackling viruses that are constantly being evolved and developed, as compared to conventional antivirus protection that relies primarily on red flagging suspicious behavior.

Norton Internet Security 2010 is equipped to deal with all sorts of viruses, trojans, malware, spyware and unscrupulous software that try to take over your PC. The security suite includes a strong firewall, a security mechanism to block intrusions, protect your e-mail and ensure safe internet surfing. The software integrates with your browser and works with the major search engines to let you know when you may be about to visit a website that is unsafe or that will try to install malicious software on your computer.

One thing we like about the software is that it doesn't hog memory. It doesn't use up a lot of RAM and will not bog down your system. You may not even notice that it's working in the background. This is a significant change from the bloatware that many antivirus software companies are churning out. The earlier version of Norton Internet Security used up a lot of memory and this version manages memory very efficiently.

This new reputation based technology that Norton has come up with is named 'Quorum'. There are new viruses being unleashed on the Internet every day. In today's scenario many viruses are introduced by unscrupulous programmers and meant only to last for a day. Most developers of viruses know that antivirus companies are always on their toes with some of them offering live updates hundreds of times every week. This means that any virus that is introduced can survive for only 24 hours. It is these newer generation of viruses - ones mean to last only a day - that are the most dangerous in today's scenario. Norton Internet security 2010 deals with these viruses with the judiciary

'Quorum' assigns reputation for every software that it comes across. This reputation is based on a gamut of factors that include the download source, age, prevalence and digital signature. So if you download a new software from a relatively unknown website that is not frequented by too many people, the software will be viewed as somewhat suspicious by Quorum even if it is not spyware or malware or a virus and exhibits no suspicious behavior. For this reason when a new file is introduced by a virus programmer, this file will be immediately viewed with suspicion by the Quorum technology of Norton Internet security 2010.

'Quorum' has a vast amount of data available that Symantec has been collecting over the years. This data has been compiled on the basis of the information that millions of Norton Antivirus users provide voluntarily and anonymously about the programs that they have running on their computers. This information is used by Quorum to calculate its reputation score for the various applications.

Symantec insists that although this new technology has been introduced, the earlier methods of dealing with viruses also continue to be used and haven't been abandoned entirely. This new technology is used in conjunction with signature-based and behavior-based protection.

If you have been using the earlier versions of Norton Internet Security and the new version of his very much like the earlier one - Norton Internet Security 2009 and you won't have to learn anything new to use the software.

In Norton Internet Security 2010, there are three sections in which the user interface has been divided - computer, network and Web. Earlier the three sections were computer, web and identity. One look at the user interface and you can know whether you need to take any actions and whether you need to turn on or off any features. At any point of time you can know the current usage of your CPU and what percentage of that is allocated to Norton. You can get an overview of the security at the main screen. Going further to the interface you can also see an in-depth report about the CPU and RAM resources use over the last 10 minutes, half an hour, hour and a half, day, week and month.

There is detailed information with a timeline provided by Norton Internet Security 2010 that will help you deal with any possible problems on your PC. This shows you, over a period of time, all events related to the security of your PC. You can see the time of software installations and virus scans. If you notice that your computer has become unstable, you can glance at this timeline and know if that coincided with the installation of some software.

The introduction of Quorum is the biggest breakthrough in this version of Norton Internet Security. Nevertheless, improvements have been made in other areas too by Symantec. The antispam features of this suite have a new and more effective engine powered by enterprise antispam vendor Brightmail. This is far more effective when compared to the anti-spam protection features offered by earlier versions of Norton Internet security.

Norton Safe Web, introducing Norton 360 version 3.0 finds a place in Norton Internet Security 2010. It works in conjunction with Google, Yahoo and Bing. When you use any of these search engines, the search engine results returned are checked for any potentially dangerous or malicious websites that shouldn't be trusted and marked as such by Norton Safe Web. These days it is possible to visit a website and have it install something on your computer without any intervention on your part. Just opening a website can make your system vulnerable to a virus. In this situation, to safeguard your data and protect your computer, Norton Safe Web is an excellent feature that is a welcome inclusion in Norton Internet Security 2010.

When you buy the software, you also get a free subscription to OnlineFamily. This is a web-based service for parental control. You can use the service to ensure that your kids do not visit websites that are not safe for them. When you use Norton Internet Security 2010 you'll find that this version is a huge improvement largely because of the new Quorum technology introduced by Symantec. The features offered by Norton make the security suite worth every penny.

Price: $69.99 for 3-PC license for 1 year.
          $114.99  for 3-PC license for 2 years.

System Requirements

Microsoft® Windows® XP (32-bit) with Service Pack 2 or later
Home/Professional/Media Center
Microsoft Windows Vista® (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate
Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Professional/Ultimate
Minimum Hardware Requirements

    * 300 MHz or faster processor
    * 256 MB of RAM (512 MB RAM required for Recovery Tool)
    * 300 MB of available hard disk space
    * CD-ROM or DVD drive (if not installing via electronic download)

Support for AntiSpam

    * Microsoft Outlook® 2002 or later
    * Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 or later  
    * Windows Mail (spam filtering only)

Browser support for Vulnerability Protection and Phishing Protection

    * Microsoft Internet Explorer® 6.0 or higher (32-bit only)
    * Mozilla Firefox® 3.0 and later

Email scanning support for POP3-and SMTP-compatible email clients