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Norman Security Suite 7REVIEW DATE: 15-FEB-2008  "Norman security? Don't you mean Norton?" That question must cause considerable gnashing of teeth at Norman Data Defense Systems. All the more since Norman's antivirus has been around since 1990—it's Norton that's the newcomer. In 1995, I reviewed version 3.54 of the Norman antivirus product; that same year, Norman won a $200,000 contract to supply AV protection to the Department of Defense. Also that very same year, Norton AntiVirus was brand-new. A lot has changed since then: Norton is the security name on everyone's lips. But now Norman has a major new release—Norman Security Suite 7. Can the more venerable player break out from the shadow of its younger rival?
Like most modern suites, this one initially displays a home page that shows the status of each security module and offers quick access to common actions and settings. You won't find the big Fix button (for quickly correcting security holes such as overdue scans) that appears on the equivalent page of many competing products such as Norton Internet Security 2008 (NIS 2008), BitDefender Total Security 2008, and McAfee Total Protection 2008 (MTP 2008). Still, if you see anything but OK for a particular module's status, you can remedy the problem with a click. I found, though, that the home page doesn't always reflect the correct status. When I used the configuration pages to disable the firewall and on-access virus scanner, the corresponding headings on the main page didn't always display "Warning." Technical support confirmed that sometimes "the linkage between the warning-mode bar and the disabled state is lost" and is looking into the problem. This is a major problem: It could easily cause people who don't drill down below the suite's home page to operate under a false sense of security.For the most part, you initiate actions and make configuration settings within the main single-window interface, but implementations of the various tasks aren't consistent. Some pages have familiar OK, Cancel, and Apply buttons. Others use Apply and Up one level or Apply, Close, and Up one level, and clicking on Up one level without first selecting Apply can discard your changes. Some pages have a button that connects to local help, but for that page only. With all other pages, your only help comes from the separately downloadable user manual (a PDF file) on the company's Web site. The suite needs a consistent user interface and a full local help system.—Next: Aging Antivirus
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