Norton Launches 2012 Products, Extends "Norton Everywhere" Initiative

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Norton by Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) today released Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus 2012 and announced several new products, all of which further its Norton Everywhere initiative to protect consumers everywhere they go - across locations, platforms, devices and digital experiences. The company is delivering on the initiative with mobile and cloud-based technology, including new features in the Norton 2012 products and introducing Norton Tablet Security and Norton Anti-Theft.

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Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security 2012 are designed to improve on their already industry-leading benchmarks for protection and performance, while enhancing the overall user experience. Other new Norton offerings go beyond traditional internet security to provide tablet and mobile device protection, family safety solutions, and the ability to find your lost or stolen laptop or Android device.

"For the past few years we have witnessed an explosion of devices, platforms and applications for consumers to enjoy. However, with these exciting changes come new digital dangers and an even greater need for consumers to be protected from cybercrime," said Janice Chaffin, group president, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec. "As the world leader in security, Norton will continue striving to ensure that our customers are safe wherever they go, whatever digital experience they choose to have."

Norton 2012 Security Products

Norton 2012 brings key new features to address the latest threats and powerful protection against one of today's greatest consumer concerns: ensuring online personal information remains confidential. Additionally, Norton brings a powerful combination of reputation, file, behavior and network based protection to provide the most comprehensive security to date. Key security technologies and usability improvements include:

-- Norton Identity Safe in the Cloud(1) - Protects personal and financial information from cybercriminals and keeps users safe from fraudulent websites. New streamlined interface, simplified login experience, and ability to store passwords in the cloud makes accessibility easy from any computer with Norton Internet Security 2012 installed. -- Norton Management - New web-based functionality lets users manage their Norton products from anywhere in the world. Users can remotely add Norton products, manage security settings and update subscriptions, making it simple to check on the health of their devices or fix issues without needing to be there in person. -- Norton Insight - Norton's exclusive reputation-based security technology leverages the anonymous software adoption patterns of millions of contributing Symantec users to automatically identify and block never before seen malicious software. -- Download Insight - Checks every downloaded file for safety before installation and now provides users with additional data about the predicted stability of the application in their environment based on the stability experiences of millions of other Symantec users. -- SONAR - Improved SONAR technology monitors running applications for suspicious behavior to quickly detect and disable previously unknown threats. -- Norton User Experience - From the streamlined main user interface, Norton 2012 offers quick access to Norton Mobile Security Lite, Norton Cybercrime Index, Norton Online Family and website ratings service Norton Safe Web(2).

Norton 2012 also continues to set the industry bar for protection and performance. For the second year in a row, Norton placed first in overall protection according to testing from AV-Test Institute. In addition, Norton Internet Security 2012 ranked first in overall performance testing by both PassMark Software and AV-Comparatives. According to Symantec's internal testing, Norton 2012 even outperforms the award-winning 2011 version with 30 percent faster scans, 17 percent faster boot time and 24 percent faster file copying.

Protecting People and Their Information

Norton today is announcing several new offerings under its Norton Everywhere initiative that go beyond internet security and give consumers the power to protect themselves and their families across multiple devices and platforms.

-- Norton Tablet Security - Available in the next few weeks, this new offering is designed specifically for Android tablets to protect the device, your privacy and your important data against loss, theft, viruses, and other threats. -- Norton Anti-Theft Beta - Available as a free download today, this new web service allows users to quickly and easily lock, locate and possibly get back a PC, laptop or Android device - and the invaluable information on it - in the event it is ever lost or stolen. Norton Anti-Theft beta includes several key features including Sneak Peek, which allows users to remotely activate the Web cam on their lost or stolen device to see who has it. -- Norton Online Family for Android and iOS users - Now out of beta, this free mobile application allows parents using Norton Online Family to view their children's online activities and manage each child's "House Rules" from their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or Android device.

These new mobile offerings complement the existing Norton Mobile Security Lite and full featured Norton Mobile Security products. The offerings seamlessly combine anti-theft features with powerful antimalware, giving users a sense of security in the event their phone is ever lost, stolen or compromised by malware.

Pricing, Availability and Compatibility

Norton Internet Security 2012 and Norton AntiVirus 2012 are now available for purchase in the U.S. through various retailers and the Norton online store at www.norton.com. The MSRP for Norton Internet Security 2012 is $69.99 USD, which provides one year of protection for up to three PCs, and the MSRP for Norton AntiVirus 2012 is $39.99 USD, which provides one year of protection for one PC. Norton 2012 products support Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit) Home/Professional/Tablet PC/Media Center with Service Pack 2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) and Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) both for Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate editions. Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus 2007 or later users with a valid product subscription are eligible to receive the latest product updates via the subscription service model. For more information, visit the Norton Update center at http://updatecenter.norton.com.

The new Norton Tablet Security will be available through select retail partners in the next few weeks at the MSRP of $39.99 USD for a one year service period. Norton Anti-Theft beta is now available as a free download for users in the United States from the Norton Beta Center. Norton Online Family for Android and iOS users is available as a free download for existing Norton Online Family users from both the Android Market and the App Store. Learn more about all of these offerings at NortonEverywhere.com.

Links to New Reports:

-- Norton Cybercrime Report: http://norton.com/cybercrimereport -- AV-Comparatives report: http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/performance/performance_aug_2011.pdf -- AV-Test Institute report: http://norton.com/avtest2012 -- PassMark Software report: http://www.passmark.com/avreport12

About Norton by Symantec

Symantec's Norton products protect consumers from cybercrime with technologies like antivirus, anti-spyware and phishing protection -- while also being light on system resources. The company also provides services such as online backup, PC tuneup, and family online safety. Like Norton on Facebook at www.facebook.com/norton.

About Symantec

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.