BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 - By: Eddie

If you’re looking for a security solution that is comprehensive yet comprehendible, BitDefender Antivirus Pro is the way to go. Offering rock-solid security, simple usability, effective resource usage and an enticing pricepoint, BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 is the best antivirus software on the market. The newest installment takes their established expertise to the next level with new features and advanced technology. More than just keeping your computer safe from threats, the antivirus software also helps to optimize your PC. Overall, it’s a top antivirus solution that offers superior protection, performance, and price.

Traditional viruses are showing no sign of slowing down, and new online threats continue to emerge and target different vulnerabilities. Luckily, this antivirus software continues to grow their arsenal to meet (and beat) the threats, whether they be viruses, worms, Trojans, or any other type of malware.

One of the best aspects of this software is that it is so flexible. Whether you’re an advanced user looking to control the whole process manually, or an average user who simply wants a set-and-forget solution, this software can match your workflow. Advanced users will love how robust the features are and the customization and overall control. Basic users will appreciate the fact that they can set up their preferences quickly and simply let the software protect them with little intervention.

In short, this security software provides protection and peace of mind, without upsetting your PC performance or paycheck.

Scope of Protection:

BitDefender Antivirus Pro protects you and your PC from a number of online threats, including viruses, spyware, phishing scams, and more. The software basically covers you from every angle, protecting you from threats on the internet, email, and even instant messaging. The program scans all web, IM, and email traffic for malware. The software is even equipped to encrypt your IM chat conversations.

One of the new features that further improves the scope of protection is the Search Advisor. This tool is built-in to the internet browser and provides protection while surfing online (similar to Norton Safe Web or McAfee SiteAdvisor) . It used to be that if you only clicked on the top links from a search engine result, you were pretty safe. With SEO-poisoning and targeted attacks (particularly on popular search terms), even the top results in Google can be dangerous. Enter Search Advisor. The tool provides at-a-glance icons next to each search result to let you know it’s safe before you click. Simply hover over the icon for more information. The little green checkmarks provide peace of mind, and don’t interfere with your internet speed or online experience. Most users will get used to them almost instantly.

Another feature designed with protection and performance in mind is the Active Virus Control. This feature was introduced last year and is specifically designed to detect and demolish stealth threats. The software has been using advanced heuristic detection for a while now, but new malware have taken steps to avoid being analyzed by these technologies. Active Virus Control uses proactive measures to continually monitor all application activity, keeping an eye on file behaviors that look suspicious. One minor discrepancy won’t stop the file in question (thus avoiding false-positives), but if enough malware-like actions are detected, BitDefender Active Virus Control will lock it down.

Effectiveness:

We Found the antivirus software to be extremely effective, successfully blocking, removing, neutralizing and (better yet) preventing malware infections. Third-party industry testers and reviewers (Virus Bulletin VB 100% Certification, ICSA Labs, Consumer Reports, West Coast Labs, AV-Comparatives) agree that BitDefender is one of the best on our comprehensive list of the top ten antivirus applications, and continue to award the company with certifications, approval and recommendation.

Another benefit of the software is that you can ensure security without sacrificing speed. The improved Smart Scan technology takes advantage of your PC processing power without being a burden. Depending on what other tasks you have running and what resources are available, BitDefender Antivirus Pro can adjust accordingly to optimize operations and maintain maximum speed.

Ease of Installation:

The software is available as boxed software or via online download, and both are easy to install and implement. Installation is actually very quick, and includes step-by-step instructions for initial setup. The process includes a pre-installation scan, and doesn’t require a reboot before you’re up and running.

Ease of Use:

One thing you’ll be prompted to choose during setup is which user profile you prefer (don’t worry, you can always change it later). The personal profiles and associated interfaces were introduced in last year’s version, and they’ve made them even better. They’re specifically designed to meet your level of experience and desired level of interaction. The basic interface focuses just on the essentials, and is ideal for anyone who just needs the software to work without constant supervision.

The intermediate and expert interfaces bring more advanced features to the forefront, allowing users to adjust security levels or tweak as needed. Though to be quite honest, even the expert user profile wouldn’t be confusing for most users, it just makes advanced features more accessible.

The antivirus software as a whole is well-designed and effectively organized. The new Windows 7-esque interface is sleek (aesthetic even), and features useful graphics and sensible tool-tips throughout the software. The dashboard varies for each user profile, but makes it easy to get in and do what you need, whether that is running a manual scan or update, scheduling a scan, customizing alerts, managing quarantined files, setting up a proxy connection or tweaking settings.

Features:

The best aspect of the software is its unmatched level of security, but there are also several features that back up the end goal of security while adding better performance, optimization, flexibility and general ease of use. The 2011 edition of our best antivirus software includes all the capabilities from the already powerful previous version, including the ability to configure (and actually use) a home network.

One special tool that is worth mentioning is the secure gamer mode. Whether you’re playing a video game or in full-screen mode for a presentation or video, the gamer mode turns off any interruptions, but doesn’t sacrifice security. You can even setup a list of your games or other applications that will require gamer mode for a completely automatic solution.

Another specialty mode available is the laptop mode. This feature can also be setup to run automatically, and will take special care to save resources when your laptop is unplugged.

Updates:

While the proactive heuristic detection and real-time prevention technology fight off new threats, timely virus definition updates are still an essential part of any antivirus software. BitDefender is set to perform updates automatically, and run in the background without slowing down your computer. You don’t have to manually update (though you can if you want), and more importantly, you don’t have to worry about updates slowing down your system.

Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about updates causing problems or losing program files. If file damage does occur (rare), BitDefender is setup to automatically repair itself with the newest working update.

Help & Support:

The top antivirus application is designed to be easy to use, and is fairly intuitive. But for those times when you need additional assistance or support with a specific problem, help is always close at hand. Live help is available 24/7 via phone, email or online live chat.

The software has helpful (but non-obtrusive) tips and directions scattered throughout the program, but the 2011 version also includes a specific in-product help application. The dedicated help section includes articles, a knowledgebase, help files, troubleshooting and a variety of video tutorials. Best of all, the integrated help is completely searchable, helping you locate relevant answers and information.

Summary:

We’ve been impressed with BitDefender Antivirus for years, and they continue to innovate and improve year after year to maintain their status as the best antivirus software on our list of top ten antivirus programs. The software is well-balanced and provides all the essential security without some of the gimmicky features we’ve seen elsewhere. This year’s installment maintains security and speed while adding some new valuable features, including the improved Smart Scan and new Search Advisor.

Overall, BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 delivers proven protection that is effective, efficient, and affordable.

About the Author

BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 provides advanced proactive protection against viruses, spyware, phishing attacks and identity theft, without slowing down your PC. Get BitDefender Antivirus 2011 and get Diskeeper Pro free

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