Symantec, the company behind Norton products, has long been a trusted name in computer security software. Venturing into the online backup business seemed the next logical move for the company, and this is exactly what they did with the launch of Norton Online Backup in 2009.

Norton's online backup solution is primarily web-based, allowing users to access their accounts and upload and download files from any computer connected to the internet. This makes it convenient for subscribers to backup any computer registered to their respective accounts even from a remote location.

Full Review

Norton online backup offers many features common to most other backup service providers today such as scheduled and automatic backups, bandwidth throttling, file versioning, file sharing, reliable data security measures, and Windows and Mac compatibility. But other than being one of the few storage solutions that’s browser-based and having the trusted Norton name behind it, the online backup service itself does not stand out in any way from other similar services.

In addition, Norton is at a bit of a disadvantage with consumers when it comes to pricing. Its annual fee of $50 for 25GB is pretty steep. On the upside though, a single account allows you to backup up to 5 computers and there is 30-day free trial of 5GB storage so you can try out the service before signing up for a whole year. Additional storage is available in increments of 10, 25, 50, and 100 GB.

Ease of Use

With Norton Online Backup, practically everything is handled online. Although you still need to download a tiny 2MB program on all computers you want backed up, what the desktop client essentially does is simply invoke the online interface. Upon installation, selecting files and scheduling backups is done through the web-based user interface.

Most reviewers find the backup process straightforward and easy to use. The interface is “nothing too flashy to get in the way,” as TopTenReviews.com puts it, but gets the job done right. What makes the online-based service really user-friendly is the fact that you can access your account from any computer and still see and get to use the same interface, from where you can upload new files and/or download backed up files.

The Backup Process

After the easy set-up process, initial uploading to the server can commence right away. The files automatically backed up by default include Contacts, Music, Pictures, Financial Files, and Office Documents. Norton makes a scan of all the data on your computer and identifies which files belong to these specific categories based on the file extensions. For instance, files ending in .mny (for Microsoft Money); .qdef, .qel and .qph (for Quicken); and .tar (for Turbo Tax) are immediately categorized as financial documents, and therefore included in the default backup set.

However, you can also conveniently add new files or folders by manually selecting them from your local drive or entering the specific file extensions of the data you want included in the regular backup. Other settings that you can change when you first use Norton Online Backup are the Schedule, which you can set to monthly, weekly, or daily; Bandwidth Speed, which you can throttle from fastest to slowest depending also on your internet usage for other purposes; and Alert Preferences.

One thing you have to understand about Norton’s process is that if you don’t make any changes to the schedule settings, by default it automatically backs up data. But automatic backup doesn’t exactly mean what you may think it does. Unlike many other storage services that update the data every time changes are made on the files or during off-peak hours, Norton backs up at random times so you really don’t get continuous data protection or a bandwidth-efficient backup.

Backup Status

As soon as the backup starts, everything occurs quietly in the background. If you open the user interface, you’ll see an animated activity bar that gives you an idea of the percentage completed, although the screen doesn’t show which particular files are being backed up or how long the process would take. It would have been better if Norton added such useful information.

Another welcome feature would have been the capability to schedule a backup that’s more frequent than the current daily option. This would be particularly critical for files that get edited frequently.

From your desktop, you’ll also find the tray icon that shows the backup status: green if everything was backed up successfully, red if the process failed. However, you don’t get email notifications as you do with other providers. On the whole though, NextAdvisor.com calls the backup process a “pretty quiet” and “rather speedy” process.

Performance

Norton’s set-and-forget approach to backup, while not as full-featured as other services, is already very functional by itself. What gives it an edge over other services is its ability to support up to 5 computers under a single account. Even better is the fact that there have not been any negative reviews when it comes to the speed of the actual backup process.

Now it isn’t quite clear if data uploading with Norton is done one computer after another or simultaneously for all registered computers. But what many reviewers are saying is that the backup activity is straightforward and for the most part, trouble-free.

Security

As Symantec is known for its internet security products, it’s not surprising that they also put a lot of thought into making the online backup service as hack-proof and secure as possible. Foremost in their security measures is the 128-bit SSL encryption used during file transfer. Then data undergoes 256-bit AES encryption upon storage in Norton’s servers, which are geographically housed in different data center locations.

Data protection is also taken into consideration even when sharing files with friends and colleagues. In addition to being able to send the link to the specific file, you can also require a password so that only authorized people can access that link.

Restoring Data

Any online backup service is only as good as its ability to recover data successfully. In this aspect, Norton Online Backup gets good feedback from many of those who’ve tried it mainly because of the simplicity of the process. TopTenReviews.com gives high praise for the service, saying that, “Recovering files is just as easy as saving them.”

From the user interface, you can conveniently restore individual files, entire folders, or even your complete backup set with just a few clicks. And because Norton is primarily an online backup service, you can access and download saved data from any internet-connected computer. Locating files is also made easier with the advanced search function that allows you to find files by name, upload date, or file size. You may opt to have the files downloaded to a Restored Files folder on your desktop or even have it restored to the desktop of any PC or Mac within your network.

In some of the expert reviews I’ve come across, there were issues raised regarding the lack of file sharing options and the inability to archive previous versions of saved files. But Norton Online Backup has already added these capabilities to its set of features, making it more competitive with other services. As mentioned earlier, files shared come with a password security option.

Remote & Mobile Access

One of the useful aspects of this online service is that it allows you to access, restore, or download files from any web browser – Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and others. In addition, Norton Online Backup has versions for Windows and Mac, and it’s possible to restore data from a PC to a Mac and vice-versa.

Norton also offers mobile access to your backed up data via their Norton Connect apps for Android devices and iPhones. With the app you can download files to your smartphone, share files via email, and initiate a backup of your home computer.

Customer Support

Norton Online Backup is just one of the many products under Symantec’s belt so it is also expected that they already have an efficient customer support department in place. Michael Muchmore of PCMag.com who made a review of the service way back in April 2009, had a firsthand experience with their technical support and was pleased to note that the Symantec rep who responded to his chat request did so quickly and “had some familiarity with the product, despite its newness.”

However, when I tested their chat support I was extremely frustrated to say the least. I simply asked what additional storage costs and it took 25 minutes for the rep to ultimately tell me I had to sign up for the 30-day free trial to see what the costs are. Seriously? And finally after I twisted his arm, he told me 75GB of storage would cost $99.99/year as I told him I had 75GB of data to backup.

In addition to their live chat support, Symantec offers phone, email, and forum support.

Bottom Line of this Norton Online Backup Review:

While the service itself is not something anyone would be overly excited about, it does offer solid basic backup and has a reputable company (Symantec) behind it. I would call this service, “online backup in a box.” Norton’s most winning quality is its multi-PC (or Mac) support under a single account.

The major concern many users will have with this backup service is its pricing structure. Considering that other providers offer considerably more storage space (some with unlimited storage) for practically the same annual cost, Norton’s $50 yearly fee for just 25GB is expensive.

Another concern I have is with the shear size of Symantec. With such a large corporation and so many products they offer – none of which have anything to do with online backup – just how good can the product get? And as I noted with my brief experience with their customer support, I wouldn’t expect it to be that great with so many products they have to support and so many customer reps involved.

It’s kind of like buying an inexpensive notebook at a Super Target. It may be a decent notebook, but really how well will a Target employee know about that computer? And what kind of support do you think you’re going to get from Target if the notebook needs repair? I would rather buy a notebook from a dedicated computer retailer. Likewise, if I’m going to trust my important data to another company, I’m going to go with a “smaller” company that specializes in online backup.

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