On March 3, 2008 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), makers of Norton security software, announced the availability of Norton 360 version 2.0, its award-winning all-in-one security solution. The newest version of Norton 360 now includes Symantec’s patent-pending Browser Protection technology, which defends against drive-by downloads and other new or unknown threats that exploit vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. With advanced antivirus, antispyware, firewall, intrusion protection, and powerful SONAR behavioral detection technology, Norton 360 users are protected on multiple fronts from online threats, like the recent Silentbanker Trojan, which take advantage of various points of entry to infect computers and steal personal information.

With approximately 58 percent of Norton 360 customers regularly banking online and 68 percent regularly shopping online, Symantec found a growing need for a convenient and safe way to store online personal data. As a result, now included in Norton 360 is Norton Identity Safe, which stores passwords and other personal information securely. Norton Identity Safe also offers convenient automatic form-filling capabilities and one-click log-in to trusted sites, and it works with Norton 360’s identity protection technology to safeguard against phishing sites.

More than two million Norton 360 customers have taken advantage of the product’s online backup since its launch in February 2007, underscoring how important it is to computer users that their irreplaceable photos, music and documents are protected. Fans of the product’s backup feature now have even more options to make protecting their valuable files simple and convenient. Local backup options now include Blu-Ray, iPods, HD-DVD discs, or shared drives, in addition to internal drives, CD/DVD drives, USB drives, mapped network drives, or external hard drives.

“We designed Norton 360 to deliver reliable, industry-leading protection without being obtrusive or sacrificing PC performance,” said Rowan Trollope, senior vice president, Symantec Corp. “Norton 360 meets customers’ needs and expectations by providing the best PC security, identity protection, backup and tuneup technologies available without confusing alerts, difficult settings options or interruptions to their computing experience.”

"Given today's threat landscape, computer users need to gravitate towards all-in-one solutions like Norton 360 to address their essential security needs," said Jon Oltsik, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. "To maximize protection, solutions should include additional protection services like backup/restore, browser-based protection, and behavior-based heuristics in an easy-to-use package.”