LifeLock and Symantec, makers of the popular Norton Internet Securty Suite, joined forces today to help protect consumers from identity theft both offline and online. The first step of this partnership sees LifeLock’s identity theft protection service packaged at a 10% discount (first 30 days free) within Norton retail box sets at stores across the US. While this is the same deal commonly found online LifeLock has pushed their brand presence to retail establishments and Symantec has added value to their product offerings. Janice Chaffin, President with Symantec, had this to say
“Today’s malware has become more intrusive, more stealth and more focused on financial gain and there are a variety of ways cyber criminals can compromise your identity and finances in the real world. Online security is a great first line of defense, but the best offline offense is to guard your identity, your money and your credit with identity theft protection. In partnership with LifeLock, we want to provide consumers with the tools they need to better safeguard themselves in both worlds”
This is what this really comes down to, identity theft has become a world wide threat with sophisticated international rings and organized crime becoming increasingly involved in this potentially lucrative crime. Large organizations including government bodies and financial companies have succumbed to hackers or malware or otherwise exposed personal and private information of Americans in numerous data breaches. When they are unable to protect their secure information it becomes obvious that consumers need top of the line online security protection in addition to offline identity theft protection.
This is what this partnership brings. LifeLock couldn’t develop an internet security suite to protect their members and have it be anywhere near as effective as Nortons which Symantec has worked on for over a decade. But the need existed. Far too many people have private information stored on their computer and with the sophisticated malware making its rounds around the net it is imperative that an internet security suite is used for protection. That said, even with effective personal online protection consumers are at risk from many other channels most notably through the companies they deal with, online and offline, that store their personal information.
“You, your identity and your financial information are more vulnerable than ever before, and people need to protect themselves and their wallets no matter if they’re in a crowded public place or shopping online from home,†said Todd Davis, LifeLock CEO. “Symantec and LifeLock represent two sides of the security and identity protection coin and we feel that in combining our core competencies, we have a unique solution to an increasingly alarming problem.â€
Hopefully, this is just the first step to a successful partnership and that eventually LifeLock will include or have as an addition to their service offering Norton’s Internet Security Suite. To us, it seems like a match made in heaven.
If you already have online protection you can purchase LifeLock for the same discount provided by Symantec (10% off, first 30 days free), by following the links located in out top left corner.