Symantec, Yahoo Partner On Security

Symantec and Yahoo on Tuesday announced an expanded partnership that puts the security company's popular consumer suite in the hands of the portal's users.

Yahoo users will be able to download a 30-day trial of Norton Internet Security, Symantec's biggest consumer seller, and when the free ride ends, purchase a one-year subscription to the suite at a $20 discount.

The two companies will market the $49.99 co-branded suite throughout the Yahoo network, including on its Toolbar -- Symantec already bundles a branded edition of that with some of its products -- and in Yahoo Search.

Norton Internet Security, which normally sells for $69.99 for a one-year license, includes anti-virus protection, personal firewall, spam filter, and spyware blocker. Symantec offers a trial version on its own Web site, but it expires in half the time -- 15 days -- as the one pitched by Yahoo.

The pair already have other co-irons in the fire. Symantec provides the spyware scan component for the Yahoo Toolbar, for example, and powers the Yahoo Online Protection service offered to users of some large ISPs, such as the U.K.'s BT broadband service. Symantec also does the virus scanning on messages and attachments sent through Yahoo's Web-based e-mail service, and on resume uploads made to the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based portal's HotJobs subsidiary.The discounted Norton Internet Security 2006 can be downloaded from the Yahoo security site.