BitDefender 9 Standard was ranked "top antivirus software" by PC Magazine in 2006, and BitDefender Antivirus later won PC World's "best buy" award, beating out some tough competition.
I am always on the lookout for excellent antivirus and anti spyware products, so I downloaded a trial version of Bit Defender Internet Security 10 to see for myself just how good this product is.
I like to use internet security suites, as opposed to just antivirus, antispyware, anti spam, etc... Although you can get much better protection if you "pick and choose" each type of computer security software from different vendors - getting the "best of the best", I find it much easier to keep up with a computer security suite. For one thing, buying an internet security suite is cheaper than buying individual products.
So, with my new BitDefender Internet Security Suite in hand, I proceed to install it. I've tested a lot of security suites, and although Bit Defender installed with no problems, I give it an 8 out of 10 for "ease of installation".
The installation wizard is not as intuitive and easy to understand as I'd hoped it would be. Although I had no difficulty with it, some of the terminology was a bit "vague", and could be confusing to novices.
As like all other computer security suites, BitDefender ran an antivirus update after installation and then scanned my system for spyware and viruses (it found none, thank goodness). I have a 40 GB hard drive, and the scanning took about 15 minutes to complete - not bad!
With Bit Defender Internet Security up and running, I noticed a slight "drag" on my system, but not as much as with Panda Internet Security or F-Secure Internet Security. All internet security suites will cause your computer to slow down a bit, especially during startup. This is because of the scanning that is going on "behind the scenes", ensuring that your operating system files are "clean".
If you use an internet security suite and you're running Windows XP, you should have at least 512 MB of RAM installed to ensure decent performance.
Like all "top of the line" internet security products, BitDefender defaults to "automatic updates", which is the best way to stay safe online. Unlike a lot of security products however, Bit Defender updates occur every hour; ensuring you always have the most recent protection available. This is important because new variations of viruses and spyware are introduced onto the internet every day, and you never know when you'll come across some destructive new form of malware.
The BitDefender interface is very clean and easy to use, and the default view tells you your current update status - which is a critical thing to know. It's easy to toggle between settings for antivirus, firewall, antispam, antispyware, and parental controls, and even beginning users can easily make adjustments to the various sensitivity settings for each. The personal firewall settings show a "real time" graph of incoming and outgoing network activity, which I find comforting.
Although I'm not using the parental controls, it is possible to set up multiple user profiles with Bit Defender Internet Security. You can assign a profile to each child, and control the type of websites that can be accessed, the times internet is available, and even block websites that contain certain "keywords" you don't want your children exposed to.
I'm very happy with Bit Defender Internet Security, and have since purchased a 2 year license for both my laptop and my PC.
BitDefender is a well known brand in the computer security industry, and I like the fact that it provides superior protection from viruses, spam, spyware, and hackers without slowing down my computer. I also like the clean and easy to understand user interface. As with all computer security products though, you are only as safe as your last update. Automatic updates are critical in providing adequate protection, and the only way to ensure constant updates is to renew your software subscription annually. With Bit Defender Internet Security, you can purchase protection for 1-5 PC's, for 1-5 year intervals.
More reviews and information on Bit Defender Internet Security Suite.
About the Author
Debbie is an informtion technology professional and author of antivirus-firewall-spyware.com and long-distance-savings.com.
