Symantec on Monday released its much-anticipated Norton 360 service, packing a full security suite plus utilities into a subscription offering.

Norton 360 includes all the expected security features—antivirus, antispyware, firewall, intrusion prevention, and more. But it also incorporates a backup solution, transaction security, and a module to optimize PC performance. The price is large as well, though: $79.99 per year.

According to Symantec, Norton 360 is “designed to work as automatically as possible” and to “offer a user experience that is reassuring, helpful and unobtrusive.”

Norton 360 includes the same type of security protection found in the popular Norton Internet Security 2007, but makes even fewer demands on the user. It includes the new SONAR (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) technology, which catches zero-day attacks by detecting and preventing malicious behavior. Antispam and parental controls are pushed out into a separate add-on pack, just as with NIS 2007.

Source: PC Magazine