For me, I have used Symantec and Norton products for several years before switching to Kaspersky. Based on my experience with both Symantec and Norton products, their endpoint solutions are much more refined.
Symantec Endpoint Protection is a solid product if you wish to protect workstations and/or servers. Install was seamless and quick. I liked the option of allowing to use an Un-Managed Client as it allowed for flexibility on some systems. Otherwise, I would have connected to my main server via a Managed Client setup. The protection components work as expected and behaviour protection was good. A combination of both SONAR and Bloodhound blocked 0-day exploits. The bloodhound component was most efficient as it recognized html, pdf, doc and vulnerabilities and blocked the exploit from being successful. The on-demand scan was good as most threats was detected. Once detected, a full report will be shown and provides detailed logs. (Threat information, modifications etc). Another excellent aspect was the custom updater. Rapid-Release definitions for Endpoint was great as it boosted detections and provided a more thorough removal. Support was excellent since there was a local office within my region. I don't really have any negative things to say about the Endpoint product.
The Norton product was in the middle for me (so-so).I have never used Norton Anti-Virus but only IS and 360. The 360 only provided extra functions such as backup and tuneup that may be useful for some users. Norton IS had the essential security suite features. I have mainly used Norton Internet Security and was never fond of the UI. The UI is normally a bit messy and difficult to navigate. I actually had to read tutorials in order to know how to locate some areas. The SONAR and real-time protection was similar to the endpoint solution except it seems to weaker. Only the download insight detected most of files but I guess this is one of the main protection components. A negative aspect about the download insight is that is can mark new or recent files as 'NOT SAFE' and will be deleted. Te on-demand scan was terrible when tested from malware packs and active malware in the system. Most of the time, repeating the scan would find more malware. Only the real-time/SONAR really kicks in and identifies the malicious files. There was no in-depth analysis of the file except for the Norton Insight. The usage of the CPU/Memory and Disk read/write was heavier than Endpoint Protection.
Another positive aspect to note is Symantec's Security Response. If you have any suspicious files or false positives, you are able to submit it via a online form. I usually get a reply within a few days. Be aware that sending plenty of samples will take them weeks to process. It is better to send each file individually.
Overall, Symantec's Endpoint products are a great solution to businesses and even the end-user. I did not have large issues or problems. On the other hand, Norton products need improvements. The on-demand scanner produced poorer results than the Endpoint product and false positives happened. Sometimes, Norton can even crash (not sure why) but a reboot fixed the issue every time. To date, I still have a Norton 360 1 year 3 PC license but I will save that for the future!
In regards to the topic, I believe Norton is not as popular in this group of people. Maybe we do not go with mainstream anti-virus software or have a different thinking. Just doing a brief look, most members at MT have ESET and other free anti-virus software. I am sure most people that do not go on technological discussion forums will have Norton, Mcafee or no security software installed...
The reason I switched to Kaspersky was because of its better pricing and features. I haven't regretted as the functions are advance and detection rates are superb. The Kaspersky Security Network (Cloud Protection) was perfect and the recently released ZETA exploit protection was a hit. The only thing I would be concerned with was with the VirusLab team. I sometimes do not get a reply and user submitted samples for analysis was usually slow. Kaspersky also usually allows PUP/Adware but does let you know of its presence.
Thank you.
