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When it comes to selecting the best antivirus software that’s out there and features the most optimum benefits and results, it can be hard to know how to weigh one product against the rest of the pack. However, the main question that seems to be asked: is Norton Antivirus firewall software the best protection available?

Norton may have a long-standing reputation in the industry, but they’ll be quick to notice that their competition is slowly catching up with them. When considering software protection, features, user-friendliness, expense and customer support, frequently-mentioned contenders such as Kapersky, Panda and ESET are set to give Norton a good run for their money.

How do they compare?

Taking the initiative to add to their already reliable product, Norton has gone ahead and added more speed and better performance for viruses and spyware protection. Another feature that seems to be often discussed is the rapid update, which Norton has designed to update virus definitions every 5-15 minutes, providing quick response time and faster detection and also removal of threats. In fact, it ranked as one of the highest in terms of malware detection and removal, although it fell a tad lower than Kapersky’s anti-spyware protection. Norton also kept ahead of the game through their excellent customer service through means of free chat and phone support. Another well-mentioned feature that Norton’s thrown at the competition is their near-transparent scanning, allowing for smoother running of other computer programs.

Kapersky is definitely a contender to be reckoned with when compared to Norton’s latest version. They have ranked as one of the highest in overall performance, protection and features, though run a bit short when comes down to cost for those who may be using more than one PC. Only Norton manages to outrank Kapersky by a small degree when it comes to some protective features, although its superior anti-spyware breezed by that of Norton’s by a little amount. While Panda’s anti-phishing may leave Kapersky with a little more left to be desired, the product is ranked as one of the highest in terms of customer service and the program’s user-friendliness.

While ranking fairly low in terms of customer service and user-friendliness amongst several different ratings, the ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 soft did manage to impress when it came down to the little amount of memory used during scanning, making for smoother and less-hindered performance on PCs while running other basic programs. It appears that, even with great improvements, ESET received an average rating when it came to detection and removal, but still faired lower than some of the competition. ESET also lost a few points due to only having daily virus definition updates, versus Kapersky’s hourly and Norton’s rapid pulse updating. Cost, depending on what or how you want to protect your data, is average.

Panda’s Antivirus Pro 2010 is slowly moving up the ranks, with this particular version offering numerous extra features, as well as supporting protection for instant messenger users. Overall, they gained average ratings in malware and spyware protection, though still hanging short from the rest of the group and only having daily updates such as ESET’s. They also gained a little disfavor for not having chat options with customer service, but rather only email and phone, though still got good reviews and ratings on overall customer service. They still prove to be a good choice for scanning, price, and its user-friendly features.

Norton still manages to keep its well-known and reliable reputation intact. So we still have to ask that big question: is Norton Antivirus firewall software the best protection available? The general consensus seems to be that, while Norton may fall short in some areas or protection, they still maintain a pace well-ahead of the many others, short of Kapersky and its somewhat better protection in a few areas. Considering price points, the Norton 360 may be a better option for those who are looking to protect more than one computer, as well as gain even more added features.

To get the best antivirus, you should refer looking up previews or free trails on the Internet. Many websites can help you get the latest information on antivirus firewall software that can keep your computer safe from viruses and hackers.