BitDefender Internet Security

BitDefender®… The future of security now

BitDefender®, a division of SOFTWIN, was founded in Bucharest, Romania in 2001. A number one antivirus ranking quickly ensued and sparked heavy demand for its products across Europe and beyond. Having gone global, the company now provides superior threat management to over 41 million home and corporate users in more than 100 countries, with offices in the United States, Romania, Germany and Spain – and a major presence in numerous countries in between. BitDefender® is a pioneer in the field of security solutions and is poised to compete with the biggest names in technology through the integration of multi-level security solutions, one of which garnered PC World’s “#1 Best Buy” in March of 2006.

Our achievements include the combination of a classic, effective antivirus solution with personal firewall protection in June of 2001, with behavior-blocking technology again in June of 2001, and finally with proactive protection using advanced pattern technologies in September of 2002. Our exceptional programmers continue to provide robust technology and lightning-fast reaction time to new viruses, delivering security and satisfaction to individuals and organizations alike. BitDefender® products are available across platforms—WIN Linux, or FreeBSD. We invite you to try our solutions before making a purchase, and we also provide continuous online support through a dedicated live chat application. Our goal is that no BitDefender® customer be vulnerable to anything from damaging viruses to everyday annoyances like spam. It’s that simple.

A commitment to product excellence, seamless integration and extraordinary customer support sets the company apart and levels the playing field amongst the security giants. Consumers now have a choice when it comes to protecting their data, and increasingly, that choice is BitDefender®.

BitDefender Internet Security Features

Firewall:
West Coast Labs (W.C.L.) certifies BitDefender’s Firewall. It continually monitors all incoming and outgoing data to and from your PC. Within the firewall tab, you can see a real–time graph so you can visually see your computer’s communication with the Internet. BitDefender also monitors your Wi–Fi connection.

You can configure the firewall by choosing one of four different settings: Ask, Allow all White Listed, Allow All and Deny All. Each setting differs as to what information it will allow in and out of your computer and whether it prompts you before transferring data.

Antivirus:
Virus detecting is BitDefender’s specialty; this software continually passes all tests given by ICSA, VB 100% and W.C.L. This suite continually scans your computer for threats, and with the click of a button, you can scan your entire system or choose a specific area to scan like removable drives, memory or documents.

You are able to configure the antivirus settings to meet your needs. Choose one of three different levels of security—aggressive, default or permissive. Or, you can set a custom level where you choose exactly what you want to scan and what you don’t.

Antispyware:
In the antispyware tab, you can access the spyware statistics that include cookies blocked, registry blocked, scripts blocked and more. Furthermore, you can choose the protection level. You have the options of aggressive, default or permissive.

BitDefender will stop all major threats including adware, keyloggers, trojans and browser hijackers to keep your private information safe.

Other Security/Features:
BitDefender Internet Security comes complete with customizable web filters as part of the parental control function. You can set up user accounts and set specific criteria for the web filter per account. This will keep children away from potentially dangerous sites, pc damaging downloads or material you would rather they not access. Additionally, this software will scan email messages for keywords so you can ensure your kids aren’t receiving harmful emails.

You can also set each account so the user can only access certain applications and use the computer during set hours of the day.

New with BitDefender Total Security are tune-up features. You can improve your PC's performance by removing unnecessary files directly from the BitDefender interface.

Ease of Use:
The BitDefender Internet Security interface is simple to navigate with organized tabs. Simply select General, Antivirus, Firewall, Antispam, Antispyware, Parental Control or Update to configure the settings of that function.

Ease of Installation/Setup:
We didn’t have any problems installing or setting up BitDefender.

Help/Support:
Softwin provides tutorials, user manuals, and, on their website, FAQs. You can find a lot of valuable information here and these sources will answer most of your questions. For further questions, you can contact customer support by phone, email or online chat. We used the chat feature and the representative was cordial and helpful.

Summary:
BitDefender Internet Security suite retails for $39.95. This is a budget–friendly price for a top–notch product. BitDefender will defend your computer and personal information so you can surf the web at ease.