Comcast subscribers now get Norton Security Suite free [UPDATED]

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News By Matthew Humphries Jan. 20, 2010 12:59 pm

McAfee may have scored a big deal last week by teaming up with Facebook, but Symantec’s Comcast deal this week is arguably much bigger.
If you are a Comcast customer you can now start using a fully-featured PC security solution free of charge. Norton Security Suite is now available to all Comcast subscribers who get Internet access. That includes both residential and business customers.
The suite of protection being offered is based on Norton 360 technology and includes the following features:

• Virus scan – helps protect against viruses, bots, spyware, Trojan horses, worms and rootkits with traditional defenses and Norton’s new reputation-based security technology, which offers unmatched detection of the latest threats
• Identity theft protection – helps block phishing Web sites, guards against keyloggers and stores and protects Web passwords
• Parental Control Tools for Family Safety – an innovative approach to keeping kids safe online helps parents manage kids’ online activities, such as filters for age-appropriate Web site content, information about search terms kids are using, and information about their social networking accounts
• Two-way firewall protection – stops threats at point of entry using sophisticated behavioral security technology
• Windows protection – cleans and repairs Windows registry
• PC Tune Up – finds and fixes problems that slow your computer
• Industry-leading performance – fast and light security that will not slow down your computer
• 24/7 One-Click Customer Support – via e-mail, chat or phone support

Symantec is claiming that the combined security suite tools are the equivalent of a $160 value to the residential customer and $490 to the business customer. Currently Norton 360 costs $79.99 for a home use and up to 3 computers.
Anyone interested in taking Comcast up on this generous offer should visit the comcast.net Security website.
[UPDATE] We have been contacted by Symantec representative Melinda Jenkins regarding the $160 value query I made and here’s what she told us to clarify where that figure comes from:

I wanted to clarify your answer to on the price. As it turns out, Comcast customers are given up to 7 licenses to accommodate the whole family. Business customers have up to 25 seats (note: the commercial package will not include parental controls for family safety and the value of the package reflects this).This is a great deal for Comcast customers (you can’t buy this at retail). This is a unique package Symantec put together for Comcast to meet their customers’ needs and is in line with the number of email accounts typically used by their residential and business customers.

Read more at the Comcast press release
Matthew’s Opinion
I’m not sure where Symantec get that $160 value figure from. I assume that the commercial version of Norton 360 is the company’s best all-round security package and it is half the price. Is that Comcast price based on two years use then?
Regardless, this is a fantastic offer from Comcast. Free and complete protection for your home PC should not be missed. If you already pay for protection then use it until the license expires and consider switching over. If you rely on free security tools then do a comparison and see if switching would provide you with more security.
If anyone downloads and tries this new suite out let us know if you had to jump through any hoops before you got the software and how easy it is setup.