Symantec plans to introduce new security services for
its 50 million worldwide users including a new generation of
consumer security products expected to be delivered by the end of
the year.
The offering, dubbed ‘Security 2.0’, will be preceded by a
refreshment of Symantec’s Norton product line with two new consumer
products intended to improve identity-theft protection. The
products are a security and backup service called Norton 360 and an
online commerce security product called Norton Confidential.
Norton Confidential is intended to protect users from known
phishing sites and malicious keylogging software as well as
managing confidential information like passwords. It will also warn
users if they are about to conduct a suspicious online
transaction.
Norton 360, previously known by the code name Project Genesis,
will be a competitor to Microsoft's new OneCare security and backup
software. A beta version of the Norton service will be available in
July, and Symantec expects to be able to deliver a final version by
the end of the year.
The good thing about Microsoft’s emphasis on security is that it
has shaken up vendors like Symantec who may have been getting a
little complacent in their product offerings. Now it knows is has
to compete.