![\"Norton](\"http:\/\/www.heliotropicsystems.com\/images\/N2011.jpg\" "\\"Norton")
<\/p>\nI received an e-mail today from Norton. Yes, that was the “from” name in Outlook. At first, I suspected the subject line, “Larry, your free update to Norton\u2122 AntiVirus is Available” was spam. However, a careful review of the contents (thank you SpamBayes) revealed this was legitimately from Symantec.<\/p>\n
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After spending a moment reading the contents, I thought this marketing effort was quite impressive. The 2011 AntiVirus and Internet Security products were released to the public on September 9, 2010. Now, one month later, it is all the more impressive that Symantec would alert customers to take advantage of what amounts to a “free” upgrade.<\/p>\n
Most consumers usually wait until the product starts to nag them (30 days – every day) before they update their subscription. Others wait until they can manage to obtain the new version of the product for $9.99 at their local office supply store.<\/p>\n
In this case, Symantec is taking a preemptive step towards ensuring their customer base is on the latest version of the product. That is something aggressive and new.<\/p>\n
Yet this actually fits in with something I have been telling my clients for a long time now:\u00a0 You should update the product version at least every two years to take advantage of the latest available detection technology. Simply renewing your subscription to the updates is not sufficient to keep your computer secure from all of the nastiness that is out on the Internet.<\/p>\n
In keeping with a recent ruling, the e-mail contains the requisite text that informs customers of the following:<\/p>\n
If your product is not updated yet and you choose to download Norton AntiVirus 2011, you will have the right to use this product for no additional charge until the expiration of your current Norton AntiVirus subscription, subject to acceptance of the Symantec License Agreement included with this product and available for review at www.symantec.com.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I’d be interested to learn about your reaction to this e-mail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"