Security software provider Symantec Corp. and Yahoo have partnered to address the ever-looming issue of Internet security.
Symantec’s Norton Internet Security will be offered to Yahoo customers to protect against viruses, hackers, spyware and spam.
“This is a co-branded version of Symantec’s Norton Internet Security,” said Nicole Leverich, spokesperson for Yahoo, Sunnyville, CA. “We are trying to make the product more visible.”
The security products will cover Yahoo’s toolbar, mail and HotJobs. The system will detect and block spyware, block intruders and identity thieves, filter spam and scan e-mail and instant message attachments to remove viruses, Trojan horses and worms.
Consumers will get a free one-month trial after which the 12-month subscription rate is $49.99.
“To me, this announcement seems to be great news for Symantec, more so than for Yahoo,” said John Rodkin, CEO of Internet agency ClickShift, San Bruno, CA. “Yahoo has the largest user base in e-mail by far, and Yahoo Mail signed up more users last quarter than Gmail has signed up for all time.
“Symantec gets access to [Yahoo’s] giant user base,” he said. “I also think this drives home the point of how large Yahoo’s lead is in everything but search.”
“We are looking to expand the reach of our products to consumers worldwide,” said Rowan Trollope, vice president of consumer engineering for Symantec, Cupertino, CA. “Symantec has data that shows that 30 percent to 40 percent of consumers are still unprotected. Partners such as Yahoo provide us with a great channel to reach consumers who are not protected.”
