Norton releases upgrades to computer protection software

A Good Time to Ensure Your Data Protection Plan is Up to Date

In the ever changing world of Anti-virus and Malware protection, it is not unusual to see a multitude of announcements from Anti-virus firms announcing upgrades. It is always important to pay close attention to your chosen provider’s upgrades, as it usually indicates that they have found a vulnerability, and are pushing the update out to keep your system safe. Too many times, however, employees bypass updates because they are too busy getting work done, and put it off until later. The problem is, often later is too late.

Last week, Anti-virus firm Norton announced they have upgraded their range of antivirus software in order to add additional features for the 2014 version, as well as to improve compatibility with Windows 8.1. Some of the main tweaks have been to the SONAR engine, changes that the manufacturer, Symantec, defined as being “under the hood.”

The new changes are designed to hunt down any malware that attempts to hide deep within the operating system, within the operating processes. It has also been designed to try and ensure that all traces of a malware attack are then removed post clean-up.

Part of the upgrade involved the change of how the software hunts down the latest resources in order to repair files more effectively in the event of a malware attack. Now, should any malicious software be allowed to slip through, SONAR will make use of the Symantec Global Intelligence Network.

Back in the 2013 version, the software received a bit of a visual update. This year, though, most of the changes are based around the more technical side. Norton’s Identity Safe password management tool has had a lot of work done to it, including the addition of new form-filling, vault search capabilities and the ability to drag and drop. The company also said that boot-time for the software has been improved by 15%, with install speed also lowered by 10%, alongside improved memory usage whilst the software is scanning.

MSP’s Ensure Sound Data Protection

Rather than relying on your employees to ensure they are accepting upgrades as they arrive, SMB’s may want to consider a Managed Service Provider to ensure updates are pushed out and enforced enterprise wide. In addition to Data Protection, an MSP will also take responsibility for Data Backup and Recovery, so if an update is not provided by the chosen anti-virus provider in time, your network systems will remain safe and secure, and a backup in place and ready to recover if necessary.