Overview
Symantec Security Information Manager (SSIM) enables IT organizations to identify, prioritize, investigate, and respond to security threats that impact missioncritical business applications. It serves as a log consolidation system for identity management monitoring, compliance, and forensics requirements. Realtime correlation of network and host security breaches with Symantec's trusted global security threat intelligence makes SSIM the vehicle for a world class incident response system ensuring the integrity of business critical information assets.
SSIM ensures the integrity and security of information assets by delivering the following capabilities:
* Captures, filters, normalizes, and reports on security and availability events from a myriad of Symantec and leading 3 rd party host and network products (event logs, antivirus, firewall, intrusion detection/prevention, vulnerability management, policy compliance, backup, etc.), and custom data sources, enabling IT to identify critical breaches in a heterogeneous or complex network environments.
* Centralizes log management for compliance and forensics requirements, retaining normalized and raw event information in online, searchable compressed format that is easy to manage and inexpensive to maintain for very long periods of time.
* Queries, plays back, and reports on arbitrary histories of identity and user activity, host, IP address, or any other normalized event field.
* Correlates security events, in realtime, using a highspeed patent pending multistage pattern based engine, helping IT to reduce events and logs into prioritized incidents and focus on solving the most serious problems first.
* Implements a patent pending multistage normalization and classification service.
* Tracks security incidents and related response activities throughout their lifecycle from ticket creation to closure, helping IT to quickly and effectively remediate problems.
* Integrates into the enterprise infrastructure including existing management and ticketing systems so that IT can leverage their legacy investments and processes by way of industry standard web service interfaces.
* Reports on compliance and security incident metrics enabling businesses to visualize and refine the effectiveness of their security processes and posture.
* Scales via a distributed architecture for simple to complex configurations with a single point of administration.
* Delivers bestinclass functionality packaged as a highperformance appliance that is easy to deploy, use and manage for lowered cost of solution and cost of ownership.
Architecture
The SSIM system is packaged as an appliance and is built on Symantec's standardsbased enterprise security architecture. The architecture and its services form a directory enabled distributed system whose administration model is based on the DMTF Common Information Model (CIM), and its CIMLDAP mappings.
Event services provide SSIM its underlying event schema, event collection, forwarding and routing channels, detailed event storage, event level access control, preferred language event display, and query services. The event service uses the CIMXML protocol, as well as a highly efficient compressed CIMXDR binary protocol, over HTTPS. SSIM adds a custom event service router to feed events to its correlation engine in near real time.
A extensible event collection framework and collector studio enables collection of log data and realtime events using a variety of sensor types including file, syslog, Windows event log, database, SNMP, and popular vendor specific sources.
Alerting and notification services provide multiple channels of communication to users and service desk systems based on rules and schedules. Service desk channels are bidirectional.
Directory services provide authentication, user white pages, rolesbased access control, service access point location, and multidomain organizational management for a trusted federation of multiple systems with single signon capabilities. Delegation of authority and complex segregation of duties is customizable by product, task, organizational unit, groups of users, rules, queries, reports as well as entire administrative domains for regional or SOC management.
Policy configuration services provide centralized configuration of a large number of SSIM systems and collectors.
Failover of SSIM services, event data stores, and directory services enable a high availability enterprise class system. A statistics service monitors the health and liveness of system infrastructure components, and monitors event and rule processing in real time.
Article Source : www.symantec.com
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Using VERITAS Cluster Server To Reduce Data Center Power Consumption and Carbon Footprint by Data Center | Andrew Harrison
Why You Should Read This Paper
Effective data center power and cooling management is an area of increased focus as corporations struggle to reduce their power consumption and carbon footprint. So much so, that at Gartner's 25th Annual Data Center Conference in November 2006, data center power consumption was a headline issue.
There many reasons for this heightened interest:
1. Gartner research presented at the conference predicted that half of the world's data centers will run out of power and cooling capacity by 2008 1 . A 2006 survey conducted for power supply vendor Liebert found that 96% of existing data centers will run out of power by 2011. Gartner attributes this to increasing server and storage footprints and massive increases in power density per rack. Gartner also suggested that today, a single rack can consume more than 30 KW, while less than a decade ago this figure would have been between 2 KW and 3 KW.
2. Increasing energy prices have resulted in power bills taking a larger and larger percentage of the total annual cost of running a system. In some cases the 3 year energy costs for commodity servers now exceed the initial purchase price. In the midto longterm, energy prices are expected to rise faster than inflation. "Today, energy costs typically form less than 10 percent of an overall IT budget," noted Rakesh Kumar, research vice president at Gartner. "But this could rise to more than 50 percent in the next few years. Most CIOs would struggle to justify that situation to company board members."
3. Concerns about the effects of CO2 emissions on global climate change often couple with mandatory local emissions cap and trade schemes where companies are forced to pay for emissions made above their annual limit. Many large corporations have also joined voluntary emissions trading schemes, despite not being required to do so by any local regulatory framework.
4. Availability of benchmark data showing data center energy efficiency and best practice targets.
5. Data center power consumption is becoming more visible. In 2005 data centers accounted for up to 1.7% of the total power consumed in the US. Research by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California suggests that data center power consumption will continue to grow at 14% per annum consuming an ever larger share of the global energy market.
6. Lack of local generating capacity, common in California, has generated increased negative publicity and pressure on large energy consumers from environmental and political groupings. The situation is so pressing that enterprises increasingly find they cannot obtain additional power at any cost.
Reasons why power budgets are inexorably increasing:
1. Poor utilization of existing assets and an inability to reclaim unused storage and servers has led to corporations deploying ever increasing numbers of servers and larger storage arrays.
2. IT organizations have focused on price/performance at the expense of energy efficiency. For example, power supplies which convert AC main inputs into DC power for commodity server use never run at 100% efficiency. Some operate at efficiencies as low as 6070%. Because energy costs are not visible to IT buyers, they have been unwilling to pay a small premium to for 90% efficiency despite this improved efficiency paying for itself within the life of the server.
3. Increasing numbers of mission critical online applications require clustered servers and highly resilient storage. A cluster of two servers consumes twice the power as a single server and, except in a minority of cases, delivers exactly the same throughput.
4. Huge growth in the number of applications deployed by organizations and footprint of these applications has resulted in large numbers of additional servers and storage being deployed to support these new and bulkier applications.
5. Data centers, designed when energy costs were relatively low, traditionally deployed inefficient physical data center infrastructure components such as chillers, UPS's and power distribution grids wasting large amounts for energy before it arrives in the system racks.
Executive Summary
Symantec provides a range of data center infrastructure products that allow customers to optimize server based solution performance, increase utilization of servers and storage, and protect services and data from downtime and loss.
This Symantec white paper examines the impact VERITAS Cluster Server and VERITAS Application Director can have on reducing data center Power Draw, in turn reducing utility bills and the carbon footprint required to support the applications hosted in an individual data center.
Utility bill and carbon footprint reductions:
* The paper shows that deploying a simple 3 node N+1 cluster instead of 2 dual node active/passive clusters can reduce power costs by up to $438,000 3 over three years while reducing the carbon footprint by 1407 metric tons of CO2 and in turn reducing carbon offset requirements if offsetting is in place.
* Deploying a 9 node N+1 cluster instead of 8 dualnode active passive clusters can reduce power costs by up to $3,069,000 4 over 3 years while reducing carbon footprint by up to 9849 metric tons and in turn reducing carbon offset requirements by up to $98,000.
Additional benefits:
* Reduced Server hardware costs to support the same level of performance and availability for mission critical applications. Similar reductions in network and SAN infrastructure requirements.
* Reduced management costs by reducing the number of servers required to support mission critical applications.
* Increased server utilization, active/passive dual node clusters can only manage 50% utilization at best. Using N+1 clustering or Application Director increases utilization.
* Reduced physical footprint. Some data centers are running out of physical space. N+1 clustering typically frees up substantial space because of the size of the servers involved.
* The possibility of delivering High Availability (HA) as a service rather than multiple HA solutions each configured subtly differently and each managed separately.
Achieving all these benefits requires no additional Symantec product expenditures because they are a N+1 clustering is standard component of VERITAS Cluster Server.
Article Source : www.symantec.com
Effective data center power and cooling management is an area of increased focus as corporations struggle to reduce their power consumption and carbon footprint. So much so, that at Gartner's 25th Annual Data Center Conference in November 2006, data center power consumption was a headline issue.
There many reasons for this heightened interest:
1. Gartner research presented at the conference predicted that half of the world's data centers will run out of power and cooling capacity by 2008 1 . A 2006 survey conducted for power supply vendor Liebert found that 96% of existing data centers will run out of power by 2011. Gartner attributes this to increasing server and storage footprints and massive increases in power density per rack. Gartner also suggested that today, a single rack can consume more than 30 KW, while less than a decade ago this figure would have been between 2 KW and 3 KW.
2. Increasing energy prices have resulted in power bills taking a larger and larger percentage of the total annual cost of running a system. In some cases the 3 year energy costs for commodity servers now exceed the initial purchase price. In the midto longterm, energy prices are expected to rise faster than inflation. "Today, energy costs typically form less than 10 percent of an overall IT budget," noted Rakesh Kumar, research vice president at Gartner. "But this could rise to more than 50 percent in the next few years. Most CIOs would struggle to justify that situation to company board members."
3. Concerns about the effects of CO2 emissions on global climate change often couple with mandatory local emissions cap and trade schemes where companies are forced to pay for emissions made above their annual limit. Many large corporations have also joined voluntary emissions trading schemes, despite not being required to do so by any local regulatory framework.
4. Availability of benchmark data showing data center energy efficiency and best practice targets.
5. Data center power consumption is becoming more visible. In 2005 data centers accounted for up to 1.7% of the total power consumed in the US. Research by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California suggests that data center power consumption will continue to grow at 14% per annum consuming an ever larger share of the global energy market.
6. Lack of local generating capacity, common in California, has generated increased negative publicity and pressure on large energy consumers from environmental and political groupings. The situation is so pressing that enterprises increasingly find they cannot obtain additional power at any cost.
Reasons why power budgets are inexorably increasing:
1. Poor utilization of existing assets and an inability to reclaim unused storage and servers has led to corporations deploying ever increasing numbers of servers and larger storage arrays.
2. IT organizations have focused on price/performance at the expense of energy efficiency. For example, power supplies which convert AC main inputs into DC power for commodity server use never run at 100% efficiency. Some operate at efficiencies as low as 6070%. Because energy costs are not visible to IT buyers, they have been unwilling to pay a small premium to for 90% efficiency despite this improved efficiency paying for itself within the life of the server.
3. Increasing numbers of mission critical online applications require clustered servers and highly resilient storage. A cluster of two servers consumes twice the power as a single server and, except in a minority of cases, delivers exactly the same throughput.
4. Huge growth in the number of applications deployed by organizations and footprint of these applications has resulted in large numbers of additional servers and storage being deployed to support these new and bulkier applications.
5. Data centers, designed when energy costs were relatively low, traditionally deployed inefficient physical data center infrastructure components such as chillers, UPS's and power distribution grids wasting large amounts for energy before it arrives in the system racks.
Executive Summary
Symantec provides a range of data center infrastructure products that allow customers to optimize server based solution performance, increase utilization of servers and storage, and protect services and data from downtime and loss.
This Symantec white paper examines the impact VERITAS Cluster Server and VERITAS Application Director can have on reducing data center Power Draw, in turn reducing utility bills and the carbon footprint required to support the applications hosted in an individual data center.
Utility bill and carbon footprint reductions:
* The paper shows that deploying a simple 3 node N+1 cluster instead of 2 dual node active/passive clusters can reduce power costs by up to $438,000 3 over three years while reducing the carbon footprint by 1407 metric tons of CO2 and in turn reducing carbon offset requirements if offsetting is in place.
* Deploying a 9 node N+1 cluster instead of 8 dualnode active passive clusters can reduce power costs by up to $3,069,000 4 over 3 years while reducing carbon footprint by up to 9849 metric tons and in turn reducing carbon offset requirements by up to $98,000.
Additional benefits:
* Reduced Server hardware costs to support the same level of performance and availability for mission critical applications. Similar reductions in network and SAN infrastructure requirements.
* Reduced management costs by reducing the number of servers required to support mission critical applications.
* Increased server utilization, active/passive dual node clusters can only manage 50% utilization at best. Using N+1 clustering or Application Director increases utilization.
* Reduced physical footprint. Some data centers are running out of physical space. N+1 clustering typically frees up substantial space because of the size of the servers involved.
* The possibility of delivering High Availability (HA) as a service rather than multiple HA solutions each configured subtly differently and each managed separately.
Achieving all these benefits requires no additional Symantec product expenditures because they are a N+1 clustering is standard component of VERITAS Cluster Server.
Article Source : www.symantec.com
Symantec to release security software that protects consumers during online transactions
(NewsTarget) A new security program should prevent personal data leaks when consumers are conducting online transactions, protecting valuable financial information.
Some features of Symantec's Norton Confidential include the ability to detect and remove malware, which Symantic refers to as "crimeware," such as keylogging programs that can steal credit card numbers, login names and passwords. During a secure purchase made with a credit card, Confidential will block any program that is trying to access the keyboard and monitor display.
Other features include an electronic wallet that can store credit card and online purchase information in an encrypted file, which will allow consumers to auto-fill transaction forms and keep their data in a secure place on their PC. It will also store a safe list of SSL certificates used by a few e-commerce sites and high-traffic banks. This means Confidential will not only alert users to sites that are unsecured, but it will be able to confirm that the site they are visiting is genuine, thereby helping combat pharming sites.
Not only will Confidential be able to eliminate the malware that it has been programmed to recognize, but it will also be able to recognize other malware using new behavioral technology from WholeSecurity, which Symantec obtained last year.
"[WholeSecurity software] is a complement to Symantec's antivirus software, and it's also the first Symantec product to work with other antivirus products from other vendors," Symantec product manager Olivia Schmelzle said.
Norton Confidential is set to beta test in July and go on sale in October.
Article Source : www.newstarget.com
Some features of Symantec's Norton Confidential include the ability to detect and remove malware, which Symantic refers to as "crimeware," such as keylogging programs that can steal credit card numbers, login names and passwords. During a secure purchase made with a credit card, Confidential will block any program that is trying to access the keyboard and monitor display.
Other features include an electronic wallet that can store credit card and online purchase information in an encrypted file, which will allow consumers to auto-fill transaction forms and keep their data in a secure place on their PC. It will also store a safe list of SSL certificates used by a few e-commerce sites and high-traffic banks. This means Confidential will not only alert users to sites that are unsecured, but it will be able to confirm that the site they are visiting is genuine, thereby helping combat pharming sites.
Not only will Confidential be able to eliminate the malware that it has been programmed to recognize, but it will also be able to recognize other malware using new behavioral technology from WholeSecurity, which Symantec obtained last year.
"[WholeSecurity software] is a complement to Symantec's antivirus software, and it's also the first Symantec product to work with other antivirus products from other vendors," Symantec product manager Olivia Schmelzle said.
Norton Confidential is set to beta test in July and go on sale in October.
Article Source : www.newstarget.com
A common sense approach to data security as applied to offshore accounting service
One of the first things you hear about offshoring is that it would increase the potential for data theft. Let us assess this perception in a common sense way.
When we talk about any "increase" we have to say compared to what. In this case the CPA has to assess the data security for on-shore operations before he can assess the increased risk posed by offshoring.
What is the typical level of data security in a small business or a CPA office?
* Since there are few staff members, there is little separation of duties. Such lack of separation encourages internal security problems.
* The data resides in paper files. Paper files are vulnerable to fire and water damage.
* The office is not physically secure. Staff members, leasing office personnel, and janitors have keys to the office. Any of them can copy confidential data.
* Paper records are not shredded before being discarded.
* The computers have no protection from unauthorized users or have relatively weak password control. Often the password is taped to the workstation.
* Any email communication is done in the clear.
* Workstations have recording devices which makes it easy to copy data.
* Usually all workstations have email and internet access. It makes unauthorized transmission of data easy.
Let us look at how these factors change when accounting is sent offshore.
* Internal control improves because the people who are authorizing the transactions are separated from the people doing the record-keeping.
* All files are maintained electronically. Such data is backed up to an off-premises secure server. So threats from fire, water, and copying are significantly reduced.
* Offshore contractors restrict physical access to keep unauthorized people out.
* Workstations have access to only the data that is processed on that workstation.
* Email communications are encrypted.
* All recording devices on the workstations are disabled.
* Only supervisors have access to email and internet. We believe that best security practices can be installed when the client, the CPA, and the offshore contractor work together.
The first line of responsibility lies with the client. Technical solutions are not enough. They must be combined with good practices in everyday management of the company. The CPA should advise the client to implement the common sense measures advocated in this pamphlet.
The offshore contractor must apply the same real world as well as technical solutions to security. The offshore contractor must consider the sensitivity of the data being entrusted to them and take appropriate measures to safeguard the information. A responsible contractor would only accept data than is essential to the task.
Let us now look at whether popular offshore destinations like India are more vulnerable to data theft. According to a March 2007 Symantec report entitled "Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Trends for July- December 2006", US was the country with highest level of malicious activity. China was next and India did not make it into the top ten.
Another common sense conclusion one can draw is that the thieves concentrate on high value targets. During 2005, 2006, through June 20, 2007 they reported 155 million records having been compromised. Out of that less than 1000 records were compromised in attacks that netted 100 records or less. Thus records from an offshore contractor serving small businesses are less likely to be a target of identity thieves.
The CPA needs to assess the sensitivity of the data and put a value on it. The CPA can have the contractor include a liquidated damages clause if the said data is compromised. If the contractor is not willing to agree to a reasonable liquidated damage figure, find another contractor.
Data security is a complex issue. However, we can enunciate certain principles that can be applied by a small business:
* Collect the least amount of data needed to serve the customer.
* Since a large proportion of data theft involves the employees, screen them carefully.
* In addition, the employees need to be trained to recognize various strategies used by criminals to facilitate data theft.
* Take security measures in the office; for example use a locked mailbox, lock the office when it is empty even for a short period of time, shred any paper records before disposal, reformat hard drives before donating, selling, or returning a computer etc.
* Take common sense precautions against cyber attacks. Encrypt the sensitive data, use firewalls, and keep your internet security software updated.
* Comply with any specific security standards that are applicable to your business. For instance credit card information needs to be secured to a specific standard.
Providing security costs time and money. In a competitive world no business can spend more on security than what the market would pay for. Ultimately security is determined by the customers' willingness to pay.
While more money can buy more security, one must remember that no security is absolute. Just think about how many times classified information has been stolen from the US government.
Eventually there will be a security breach. How do you deal with such a breach? It seems that the best approach is to inform the individuals or businesses whose data have been compromised, notify the law enforcement authorities, and support the affected parties to monitor their credit reports. Security is a multi-faceted problem. The key to success is co-operation between the client, the CPA, and the offshore contractor. No one party can be effective without the others.
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Dev Purkayastha
When we talk about any "increase" we have to say compared to what. In this case the CPA has to assess the data security for on-shore operations before he can assess the increased risk posed by offshoring.
What is the typical level of data security in a small business or a CPA office?
* Since there are few staff members, there is little separation of duties. Such lack of separation encourages internal security problems.
* The data resides in paper files. Paper files are vulnerable to fire and water damage.
* The office is not physically secure. Staff members, leasing office personnel, and janitors have keys to the office. Any of them can copy confidential data.
* Paper records are not shredded before being discarded.
* The computers have no protection from unauthorized users or have relatively weak password control. Often the password is taped to the workstation.
* Any email communication is done in the clear.
* Workstations have recording devices which makes it easy to copy data.
* Usually all workstations have email and internet access. It makes unauthorized transmission of data easy.
Let us look at how these factors change when accounting is sent offshore.
* Internal control improves because the people who are authorizing the transactions are separated from the people doing the record-keeping.
* All files are maintained electronically. Such data is backed up to an off-premises secure server. So threats from fire, water, and copying are significantly reduced.
* Offshore contractors restrict physical access to keep unauthorized people out.
* Workstations have access to only the data that is processed on that workstation.
* Email communications are encrypted.
* All recording devices on the workstations are disabled.
* Only supervisors have access to email and internet. We believe that best security practices can be installed when the client, the CPA, and the offshore contractor work together.
The first line of responsibility lies with the client. Technical solutions are not enough. They must be combined with good practices in everyday management of the company. The CPA should advise the client to implement the common sense measures advocated in this pamphlet.
The offshore contractor must apply the same real world as well as technical solutions to security. The offshore contractor must consider the sensitivity of the data being entrusted to them and take appropriate measures to safeguard the information. A responsible contractor would only accept data than is essential to the task.
Let us now look at whether popular offshore destinations like India are more vulnerable to data theft. According to a March 2007 Symantec report entitled "Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Trends for July- December 2006", US was the country with highest level of malicious activity. China was next and India did not make it into the top ten.
Another common sense conclusion one can draw is that the thieves concentrate on high value targets. During 2005, 2006, through June 20, 2007 they reported 155 million records having been compromised. Out of that less than 1000 records were compromised in attacks that netted 100 records or less. Thus records from an offshore contractor serving small businesses are less likely to be a target of identity thieves.
The CPA needs to assess the sensitivity of the data and put a value on it. The CPA can have the contractor include a liquidated damages clause if the said data is compromised. If the contractor is not willing to agree to a reasonable liquidated damage figure, find another contractor.
Data security is a complex issue. However, we can enunciate certain principles that can be applied by a small business:
* Collect the least amount of data needed to serve the customer.
* Since a large proportion of data theft involves the employees, screen them carefully.
* In addition, the employees need to be trained to recognize various strategies used by criminals to facilitate data theft.
* Take security measures in the office; for example use a locked mailbox, lock the office when it is empty even for a short period of time, shred any paper records before disposal, reformat hard drives before donating, selling, or returning a computer etc.
* Take common sense precautions against cyber attacks. Encrypt the sensitive data, use firewalls, and keep your internet security software updated.
* Comply with any specific security standards that are applicable to your business. For instance credit card information needs to be secured to a specific standard.
Providing security costs time and money. In a competitive world no business can spend more on security than what the market would pay for. Ultimately security is determined by the customers' willingness to pay.
While more money can buy more security, one must remember that no security is absolute. Just think about how many times classified information has been stolen from the US government.
Eventually there will be a security breach. How do you deal with such a breach? It seems that the best approach is to inform the individuals or businesses whose data have been compromised, notify the law enforcement authorities, and support the affected parties to monitor their credit reports. Security is a multi-faceted problem. The key to success is co-operation between the client, the CPA, and the offshore contractor. No one party can be effective without the others.
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Dev Purkayastha
How to Choose Virus-Protection Software
Most new consumer model and major brand mail-order computers include good anti-virus programs. But if you use the Internet or share files and you don't have one, you definitely need one. Buy one of the leading anti-virus programs, such as Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus, McAfee VirusScan, Quarterdeck ViruSweep, or Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus. The major developers can be relied upon to release timely periodic updates that deal with new viruses. Check reviews and ratings on the Internet and in computer magazines to narrow your buying decision. Download a shareware anti-virus program if you cannot afford an effective commercial anti-virus program. Spend no more than $50 for a commercial anti-virus program. Evaluate the terms for frequent upgrades to your program before buying. Most manufacturers offer free upgrades that detect newly created viruses. Anti-virus programs are often bundled with other utilities and applications, offering a discount from buying the programs separately. Keep your anti-virus program current to prevent your computer from becoming infected by newly created viruses. Criminals are constantly devising ways to damage computers with viruses.
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Little J
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Little J
What They Don't Advertise about Computer Security Software
Standard Windows security tools just aren't enough with all the viruses online today. Most of us need more powerful computer security software than that which comes standard on our computers. The two main contenders for best computer security software are Norton 360 and McAfee Total Protection 2007. But which offers the greater protection at the best value? In this article, we'll compare security software industry leaders from a consumer's point of view.
Features
Symantec's new Norton 360 security suite was created from the ground up to form a nice looking, simple-to-use product. Best of all, it is light on system resources while including a wide range of features. However, it is missing a wireless security feature which is a critical omission.
On the flipside, McAfee's Total Protection seems to be a patchy combination of bits of McAfee's other products, creating a crude assembly that clumsily fumbles through the computer. McAfee's Total Protection comes with all of the same features as Norton 360 and then some; most notably, a full set of wireless security features. However, with so many features in the application, it can be difficult to find and use them all.
Performance
Unlike Symantec products of the past that have been resource hogs, Symantec's new Norton 360 is surprisingly light on resources. We found Norton 360 running only 3 processes with less effect on system performance than McAfee. Norton is substantially faster than McAfee in several areas including Sorensen Squeeze 4 deep scanning and boot speeds, but slower in iTunes 6 deep scanning. The two computer security software systems function with nearly the same performance in single file scanning.
In terms of protection, McAfee out-performed Norton on CheckVir certification, although both performed quite well. Both of these computer security software systems have been awarded with advanced certification on AV Comparatives.
Support
Support is an area where both companies fall short. Though each has improved their customer support, both Symantec and McAfee have a way to go before being able to claim top notch customer service. Neither company offers tutorials, a feature that would be very helpful considering the application.
Though Norton has a downloadable manual, it's quite slim and McAfee is lacking one altogether. For support and questions, both security software companies direct customers to the web. We found that both products offer adequate online knowledge bases and that both offer free email and chat support for questions that can't be solved online. While phone support is an option, it is fee-based with both companies.
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Christine Harrell
Features
Symantec's new Norton 360 security suite was created from the ground up to form a nice looking, simple-to-use product. Best of all, it is light on system resources while including a wide range of features. However, it is missing a wireless security feature which is a critical omission.
On the flipside, McAfee's Total Protection seems to be a patchy combination of bits of McAfee's other products, creating a crude assembly that clumsily fumbles through the computer. McAfee's Total Protection comes with all of the same features as Norton 360 and then some; most notably, a full set of wireless security features. However, with so many features in the application, it can be difficult to find and use them all.
Performance
Unlike Symantec products of the past that have been resource hogs, Symantec's new Norton 360 is surprisingly light on resources. We found Norton 360 running only 3 processes with less effect on system performance than McAfee. Norton is substantially faster than McAfee in several areas including Sorensen Squeeze 4 deep scanning and boot speeds, but slower in iTunes 6 deep scanning. The two computer security software systems function with nearly the same performance in single file scanning.
In terms of protection, McAfee out-performed Norton on CheckVir certification, although both performed quite well. Both of these computer security software systems have been awarded with advanced certification on AV Comparatives.
Support
Support is an area where both companies fall short. Though each has improved their customer support, both Symantec and McAfee have a way to go before being able to claim top notch customer service. Neither company offers tutorials, a feature that would be very helpful considering the application.
Though Norton has a downloadable manual, it's quite slim and McAfee is lacking one altogether. For support and questions, both security software companies direct customers to the web. We found that both products offer adequate online knowledge bases and that both offer free email and chat support for questions that can't be solved online. While phone support is an option, it is fee-based with both companies.
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Christine Harrell
Poor Computer Performance - 9 Free or Inexpensive Fixes
Poor computer performance by your Windows-based machine can sneak up on you gradually. You may find its performance deteriorating increasingly until one day you realize you must fix it or buy a new one. Signs of poor performance can include applications running very slowly, programs closing or freezing up suddenly, and a generally slower response time to OS (operating system)-related commands. I have compiled 9 fixes for you here that you can leverage right now to greatly improve your computer's performance.
Fix #1: Download and run MS Service Pack 2:
Every operating system requires patches and upgrades by its maker from time-to-time, with Microsoft XP being no exception. While Service Pack 2 was released in 2002, some people with older systems are still not running it: make sure your computer is. You can download it FREE from Microsoft's Web site at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/
Fix #2: Run the Disk Cleanup utility:
Your computer likely has a number of unused and unneeded files that take up valuable space on your hard drive and slow performance. Run your FREE, built-in Disk Cleanup utility to automatically remove these files. Find it by going to: Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup and following the prompts.
Fix #3: Defragment your hard drive:
Over time, your computer will store files in an increasingly inefficient manner on your hard drive, affecting file retrieval times and other performance factors. To fix this, you need to defragment your hard disk drive. To do this for FREE, just go to: Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter. First, highlight the drive you want to clean up (e.g., C drive) and choose Analyze. Once complete, choose Defragment. Note that the defragmentation process could take up to an hour or more, so do this during a time when you can step away from your computer.
Fix #4: Run an anti-virus tool:
Computer viruses are malicious programs that drastically affect your computer's performance, either all at once or insidiously over time. You can stop a virus attack by installing and running anti-virus software which performs regular scans, locates the offending viruses and quarantines them. Symantec's world class antivirus tools are an excellent choice and you can find them at http://www.protected-now.com.
Fix #5: Clean your registry:
Your computer's registry is a tool that most non-computer specialists never see but which is vitally important to computer operations. Your registry stores settings and options for your hardware, operating system, and other software. Unfortunately, given its fundamental role in the performance of your system, your registry is often the target of attack or infection. To thoroughly and automatically clean your registry, run a regular registry scan using a registry cleaning tool. I recommend RegCure, which recently found 1,626 problems with my registry (ugh!), is cheap and easy to use. Download your copy now at http://www.i-feel-great.com.
Fix #6: Run anti-spyware software:
Spyware is computer software that installs itself in your computer and performs a number of unwanted functions, including monitoring your computer usage and interfere with your control. It represents a real threat and has become a significant problem in recent years. Fortunately, fixes are easy to find and include a number of free and inexpensive anti-spyware programs. Try SpyBot Search & Destroy. Get it FREE here http://www.safer-networking.org/.
Fix #7: Increase your computer's memory:
Today's applications require more and more memory (RAM) to run. If your computer is more than two years old or if you selected the minimal memory option upon purchase, you might benefit from adding another 1 GB or more to your computer. Check online or at your local computer dealer for pricing.
Fix #8: Clean your hard drive:
More comprehensive than the Disk Utility tool introduced above, cleaning your hard drive with professional cleaning software is a great way to improve performance. Try CCleaner for FREE at: http://www.ccleaner.com.
Fix #9: As a last resort, re-format your hard drive:
If after trying all of the above items and your computer still performs poorly, a last resort is to completely reformat your hard drive. Warning: proceed with caution since this action will erase your entire hard drive, including your operating system (OS)! If you decide to take this route, consult an online tutorial for how-to steps. At minimum, remember two things: be sure to back up all of your files and applications and retain a copy of your OS on CD so that you can re-install it later.
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Jed Jones
Fix #1: Download and run MS Service Pack 2:
Every operating system requires patches and upgrades by its maker from time-to-time, with Microsoft XP being no exception. While Service Pack 2 was released in 2002, some people with older systems are still not running it: make sure your computer is. You can download it FREE from Microsoft's Web site at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/
Fix #2: Run the Disk Cleanup utility:
Your computer likely has a number of unused and unneeded files that take up valuable space on your hard drive and slow performance. Run your FREE, built-in Disk Cleanup utility to automatically remove these files. Find it by going to: Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup and following the prompts.
Fix #3: Defragment your hard drive:
Over time, your computer will store files in an increasingly inefficient manner on your hard drive, affecting file retrieval times and other performance factors. To fix this, you need to defragment your hard disk drive. To do this for FREE, just go to: Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter. First, highlight the drive you want to clean up (e.g., C drive) and choose Analyze. Once complete, choose Defragment. Note that the defragmentation process could take up to an hour or more, so do this during a time when you can step away from your computer.
Fix #4: Run an anti-virus tool:
Computer viruses are malicious programs that drastically affect your computer's performance, either all at once or insidiously over time. You can stop a virus attack by installing and running anti-virus software which performs regular scans, locates the offending viruses and quarantines them. Symantec's world class antivirus tools are an excellent choice and you can find them at http://www.protected-now.com.
Fix #5: Clean your registry:
Your computer's registry is a tool that most non-computer specialists never see but which is vitally important to computer operations. Your registry stores settings and options for your hardware, operating system, and other software. Unfortunately, given its fundamental role in the performance of your system, your registry is often the target of attack or infection. To thoroughly and automatically clean your registry, run a regular registry scan using a registry cleaning tool. I recommend RegCure, which recently found 1,626 problems with my registry (ugh!), is cheap and easy to use. Download your copy now at http://www.i-feel-great.com.
Fix #6: Run anti-spyware software:
Spyware is computer software that installs itself in your computer and performs a number of unwanted functions, including monitoring your computer usage and interfere with your control. It represents a real threat and has become a significant problem in recent years. Fortunately, fixes are easy to find and include a number of free and inexpensive anti-spyware programs. Try SpyBot Search & Destroy. Get it FREE here http://www.safer-networking.org/.
Fix #7: Increase your computer's memory:
Today's applications require more and more memory (RAM) to run. If your computer is more than two years old or if you selected the minimal memory option upon purchase, you might benefit from adding another 1 GB or more to your computer. Check online or at your local computer dealer for pricing.
Fix #8: Clean your hard drive:
More comprehensive than the Disk Utility tool introduced above, cleaning your hard drive with professional cleaning software is a great way to improve performance. Try CCleaner for FREE at: http://www.ccleaner.com.
Fix #9: As a last resort, re-format your hard drive:
If after trying all of the above items and your computer still performs poorly, a last resort is to completely reformat your hard drive. Warning: proceed with caution since this action will erase your entire hard drive, including your operating system (OS)! If you decide to take this route, consult an online tutorial for how-to steps. At minimum, remember two things: be sure to back up all of your files and applications and retain a copy of your OS on CD so that you can re-install it later.
Article Source : www.goarticles.com Author : Jed Jones
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