Symantec is putting nine Norton Security products, including antivirus, spyware protection and spam monitoring software, into one comprehensive package that will be simply named Norton Security.
Norton Security will be released on Sept. 23, replacing previously standalone software Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, Norton 360, Norton 360 Multi-Device and Norton 360 Premier Edition and all the products associated with them.
"We're headed towards security as a service," said Norton senior director of product management Gerry Egan.
As per Egan, Symantec is looking to push Norton into a subscription-based service, which would utilize account-based logins for users to gain access to its features.
The move will affect around 50 million users who are currently paying for Norton security products, not including the enterprise accounts that Symantec handles.
The new interface for Norton Security will combine that of Norton Antivirus and Norton Internet Security. On top of antivirus and anti-malware protection, the software will also enforce browser security, botnet detection and protection, and a "smarter" reliance on cloud-based threat detection.
Looking to convince users of the effectiveness of the new Norton Security software, Egan also said that users will be offered a refund guarantee.
"We will be offering virus-free guarantee," Egan said. "If at the end of the day we run into something we can't deal with, we'll give you your money back."
The refund guarantee will also be helpful in having users try out Norton Security, especially as it tries to shed its image in the past of sacrificing computer performance to keep the system secure.
Annual subscription to Norton Security will cost $80, with the product able to run across all Windows and Mac computers, along with all iOS and Android smartphones. Up to five devices can be used with each subscription.
Other services included with the subscription are a password manager and back-up cloud storage for an additional annual charge of $10 for 25GB of data.
"You might bounce throughout the day from a Mac to a mobile to a Windows machine," Egan said. "Instead of trying to figure out which Norton product they're using, 'we want to say to people that you sign up to Norton, it's as simple as that.'"
In the past quarter, Symantec posted a 2 percent gain for a profit of $236 million, on revenues of $1.74 billion. The company then said that it was planning to optimize Norton while making product support more streamlined. The consolidation of all Norton products into Norton Security is a result of this new direction of the company.
