Kanok also stressed the faster speed, smaller memory footprint, and lighter processor load in differentiating 360 from other Norton titles, and he cited data from third-party tests that showed the new suite performed faster and with less impact on PC performance than the industry average.

"We really focused on performance," he said. "It's the best in the business as far as speed of scanning, as well as the efficacy of the scan."

Like Symantec's other prime consumer titles -- Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security -- 360 will include new behavioral-based malware detection capabilities. Dubbed Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response when the technology debuted in January, SONOR is intended to complement traditional signature-based antivirus scanning. Symantec has been touting it as a "zero-day" defense that will stop exploits against unpatched vulnerabilities and catch malicious code in the early stages of spreading.

Norton 360, which runs on Windows XP and 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, is available now from Symantec's online store, but it will not roll out into retail until next month.