How do I determine what services are included with the current Internet Security Premium annual subscription? How does this service compare to Norton 360 service? I am currently operating on Win10 pro.
Hi gvansly:
Are using Norton Internet Security (NIS) or Norton Security (NS) Premium, and does Help | General Information | About show that you are using the current v22.22.4.11 (rel. 05-May-2022)?
Norton Internet Security and Norton Security Standard (1 device) / Deluxe (3 to 5 devices) are almost identical products (i.e., Norton Smart Firewall but no Norton Backup) but Norton Internet Security can only be installed on Windows PCs while Norton Security is multi-device (Windows PC, Mac, Android, iOS). Norton Security Premium is similar to the "old" Norton 360 Premium and comes with Norton Backup, although the online storage is limited to 25 GB. Also note that Win XP and Vista users cannot install the "new" Norton 360 and must use a legacy Norton v22.15.x product.
The "new" Norton 360 is a completely different product line with several additional features - some of them useful (e.g., Norton Secure VPN), but I would consider many to be unnecessary bloat. The Norton article <here> has some information on the differences between older products like Norton Security Standard/Deluxe and newer products like Norton 360 Standard/Deluxe and Norton 360 with LifeLock identity theft protection.
I've never used the "new" Norton 360 but here are some additional features in this product line that I don't believe are included in older Norton Internet Security (NIS) or Norton Security (NS) products. Hopefully one of the Norton 360 users will chime in if I've forgotten anything important.
- Norton Secure VPN
- Norton Smart Scan (performance optimizer that runs security, performance, and network scans)
- Norton Crypto (optional feature for mining Ethereum cryptocurrency)
- Norton Software Updater
- Dark Web Monitoring
- Cloud Backup (10 GB or more depending on the Norton 360 edition you purchase)
- LifeLock identity theft protection (for US customers with "premium" LifeLock Select/Advantage/Ultimate Plus plans)
In my opinion, Norton Secure VPN is the only extra feature that adds any value to Norton, especially for users who reside outside the US. I would never use Norton Crypto or a "one size fits all" system optimizer like Norton Smart Scan, and I already use free utilities that are just as good if not better than Norton Software Updater (e.g., SUMo, although I only use SUMo to scan for available software updates and always go to the software developer's official website to download their latest installer) and Norton's Dark Web Monitoring [see my 21-Feb-2021 post <here> about the HaveIBeenPwned site vs Dark Web Monitoring]. See my 26-Jun-2022 post in ffwfire's Norton Updater that explains why Norton 360 is not installed on my Win 10 machine.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1702 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758