Symantec opens Norton 2009 products in public beta

This week, Symantec opened the public betas of both Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton Antivirus 2009, products which the company claims run faster and consume fewer resources.

The lighter weight and reduced resource consumption are thanks in part to what Symantec calls Norton Insight, or the ability for Norton programs to statistically determine which files are trustworthy based upon prior scans as well as the findings of other Norton community members. Trusted files are avoided in quick scans.

Catering to resource-conscious users such as gamers, Norton 2009 products feature several options which pertain to its goal of "Zero Impact" performance. A less-intrusive Silent Mode has been added which suspends alerts and updates to prevent slowdown during games, movies, or presentations.

Immediately noticeable is the new user interface, which has been designed to simplify the navigation through the software's newly added features. Among these new features is the ability to monitor all devices on the home network. Each can be named and classified according to its type and IP address, and then be monitored for vulnerability and exploit simply by being chosen in the "home network" tab.

Anti-Bot and Identity Safety features have been added to the browser vulnerability protection which includes Intrusion Prevention Systems, anti-rootkit, anti-virus, and anti-spyware technologies.