Why do alot of people not like Norton or McAfee?

[MMAUY]

Not a lot of techs like using it or recommend it. Why is that?

 

[ThirdMCC]

Not a lot of techs like using it or recommend it. Why is that?

Two words: Resource Hog.

Add to that the fact that they have both been responsible for killing operating systems after getting updates. I have been on the tech support phone desk for one such event, and call after call was the same thing, "Norton did an update and now my computer will not boot up!"

 

[gunslinger]

"Two words: Resource Hog."

Exactly. In fact almost every system I tuch norton or mcafee is the first thing I remove. Bang! an instant 20-30% speed increase. I do this with the owners consent of course.I then replace them with good products like AVG and spywareblaster.

 

[greggh]

If I go to a customers house and they say "my internet isnt working anymore", AND I see norton installed. The very first thing I do is uninstall norton and run the norton removal tool. At LEAST 7/10 times the internet works again. Maybe the system still needs a little more work, but that is usually the fix. That is the reason me and all the techs I work with hate norton.

Now lets add another piece to this argument. Do you know why there arent many mac viruses? It's because apple doesnt have the market share that windows does. Now lets use that logic on the anti-virus world. Do you know why more norton systems are infected with many viruses and trojans than any other "protected" system? Because they DO have the market share. Because of this most virus and trojan writers work on defeating norton and to some extend mcafee. If they can defeat the current protection by those two anti-virus companies you can usually spread pretty far and fast. That is another reason to dislike both of them.

 

[Bryce W]

Aside from the fact its a massive resource hog, it isnt a very well made application either. I see all sorts of instances where it becomes corrupt or doesnt so what its supposed to. Norton sinks its hooks deep into the systems most critical parts and when Norton goes bad, it can prevent Windows from booting.

To make matters worse, lets say this has happened and we cant access Windows... You cant uninstall Norton from safe mode. So you have to use the Norton Removal Tool.

The best piece of software created by Symantec is the Norton Removal Tool.

 

[RKDus]

And let us not forget, you have to pay for the privilege!

 

[Justin]

Resource hogs indeed. I had two identical machines with Norton and one had serious printing issues while the other had none. Now they both have AVG and not a problem since. No program should be as difficult to remove as the Norton and Mcafee suites.

 

[rsavoia]

The best piece of software created by Symantec is the Norton Removal Tool.

ROTF! Now, that's funny. It is also true.

 

[jamesbhp]

It's a shame, most PC magazines and various consumer guides still lists Symantec as the security suite to get year after year. You have to do a song and dance with some corporate clients and smart consumers why they shouldn't listen to the media.

 

[OKCComputers]

Norton just sucks

And well, so does McAfee. They both cause more problems than they fix. 95% of the time there are numerous active infections on a system "protected" by either.

First thing I do is remove the offending crapware and install Avast, performing a boot scan afterwards to remove all the fun stuff Norton or McAfee has failed to detect/remove.

Customers are amazed afterwards how fast and stable their computer is. The only security suites I like, and use, are Kaspersky IS and Outpost. If a customer is knowledgeable enough to run a suite with a firewall, thats what I recommend.

 

[gunslinger]

If they are knowledgeable I also recommend Kaspersky, if not then its AVG.

 

[seedubya]

I echo everything everyone else has said about Norton/McAfee. That being said Symantec Corporate Anti-virus isn't as bad operationally. But it still sucks at detecting threats.

Do any of you guys actually SELL security software as opposed to giving them free stuff? We are AVG Gold Resellers and have approx. 260 customers on AVG Professional with about 1000 active licences in total and we have a renewal rate of about 80%. Our recurring revenue is about €14000 per year. We also have 25 or so customers on Kerio (Pro) Firewall/Orange Webfilter. Renewals there are 100% so far, about €8500 per year.

Good products=happy customers=returning customers=more money!!!!

 

[RKDus]

I echo everything everyone else has said about Norton/McAfee. That being said Symantec Corporate Anti-virus isn't as bad operationally. But it still sucks at detecting threats.

Do any of you guys actually SELL security software as opposed to giving them free stuff? We are AVG Gold Resellers and have approx. 260 customers on AVG Professional with about 1000 active licences in total and we have a renewal rate of about 80%. Our recurring revenue is about €14000 per year. We also have 25 or so customers on Kerio (Pro) Firewall/Orange Webfilter. Renewals there are 100% so far, about €8500 per year.

Good products=happy customers=returning customers=more money!!!!

Sounds really interesting, what kind of cut do you get from each sale?

 

[nonchalant]

The best piece of software created by Symantec is the Norton Removal Tool.

Actually even that doesnt work well. Had a customer the other day that couldnt get on the net and first thing I noticed was norton in the toolbar. Removed it and still couldnt get on the net. Ran the removal tool - still couldnt get on the net and remnants of norton were still visible on the toolbar and other places. Ended up having to format. Worst software ever. And Mcafee is a virus.
KAV all the way.

 

[gunslinger]

"Actually even that doesnt work well. Had a customer the other day that couldnt get on the net and first thing I noticed was norton in the toolbar. Removed it and still couldnt get on the net. Ran the removal tool - still couldnt get on the net and remnants of norton were still visible on the toolbar and other places. Ended up having to format. Worst software ever. And Mcafee is a virus.
KAV all the way."



I always run the removal tool, then Ccleaner or another reg cleaner to get rid of a few traces left behind. Sometimes removing Norton kills other things like IE. I agree with Mcafee being a virus...lol
I think the only reasons these two companies are still running is because they put their software on every new PC that comes out, and they line the pockets of those magizines that promote them. I think any company, shop, or magizine that pushes these softwares has to be on the take and are to be avoided.

 

[seedubya]

Sounds really interesting, what kind of cut do you get from each sale?

For AVG we get 40% off the web price. That's the top discount rate. When you sign up as a reseller you start at 20%. With Kerio the discount is 30% and you start at 15%. We're currently trialling MDaemon mail server with a view to becoming resellers. We also re-sell a number of other applications which don't give recurring revenue. The trick is in finding reliable programs which DO give you recurring revenue. It's the same principle as selling web space/domain names, service contracts, etc. Recurring revenue is really good for your business. We also mark up the recommend retail/web price by 15-20%. If anyone complains we tell them that's our price and that's it.

 

[Simmy]

I just got back from a job where the customer was running Norton 2007 and Mcafee...*gulp*...at the same time! The hard drive was screaming for the pain to stop.

They're awful programs simply because they're slow, expensive and not even that effective compared to the likes of NOD32, Kaspersky, AVG, Bitdefender etc. And it really grinds my gears that these two products get supplied with computers and display stands in PC World.

 

[nonchalant]

..and they line the pockets of those magizines that promote them. I think any company, shop, or magizine that pushes these softwares has to be on the take and are to be avoided.

Yea. Walk into most computer stores and theres good old norton sitting on the counter and dangling from wires dropped from the ceiling. Im sure the stores make at least a 50% profit from each copy sold of this software at $100 a pop and then its installed automatically sometimes with each new PC or laptop sold. You need to be a techie sometimes to figure out how to get rid of it so the customer has no chance. I guess the upside of this is it keeps us in work..the stores put it on and we take it off lol..

 

[RKDus]

For AVG we get 40% off the web price. That's the top discount rate. When you sign up as a reseller you start at 20%. With Kerio the discount is 30% and you start at 15%. We're currently trialling MDaemon mail server with a view to becoming resellers. We also re-sell a number of other applications which don't give recurring revenue. The trick is in finding reliable programs which DO give you recurring revenue. It's the same principle as selling web space/domain names, service contracts, etc. Recurring revenue is really good for your business. We also mark up the recommend retail/web price by 15-20%. If anyone complains we tell them that's our price and that's it.

How does it work? Do you buy a lot of software packs from AVG and then sell them on to the customer? Because I want to avoid having a lot of stock.

 

[nonchalant]

How does it work? Do you buy a lot of software packs from AVG and then sell them on to the customer? Because I want to avoid having a lot of stock.

How do you sell something thats free? Or are these corporate licenses?