Symantec's challenge to Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare security product, Norton 360, now faces delays. The product, which was due out in September, is now slated to ship by the end of March next year.
Norton 360, which was previously known as Genesis, seeks to combine components of Symantec's current security, PC optimization and backup products, and will be sold on a subscription basis. It promises to offer protection against viruses, spam, spyware and phishing scams, as well as providing a means of stopping hacker attacks with intrusion prevention technologies and a firewall. Offline and online backup features will also be included.
It is possible though that Norton 360 will ship before the March 2007 date, according to Enrique Salem, group president of consumer products at Symantec.
"We're currently targeting to have the code available in Q4 (the fourth quarter)," Salem said. "In July, we will make a large public beta available. The feedback from our customers, the feedback from our channel partners, will help us decide when we make the product available to our customers."