Review of ca internet security suite

We also didn't like that if you chose to install the parental controls, you'll suspend the installation until you provide additional passwords and e-mail addresses to prevent tampering. Once started, there is a cool Getting Started Flash-based tour of the product. If the rest of the product, say the interface, had been like the Getting Started presentation, we might have gotten more excited. Alas, the interface hasn't changed since By clicking individual topics, you are taken to a new window with more specifics about the topic selected.

This seems very old-school--even McAfee has updated its interface to contain all activities within one window--and shows that the security tools are not integrated well. The downsides are that the suite takes up more system resources and that you will have several open windows on your desktop.

Should you decide to uninstall the product, there is an uninstall option in the All Programs listing. After a reboot, however, we found more than a few residual files. Features In addition to the basics of antivirus, antispam, antispyware, antiphishing, and a personal firewall, CA Internet Security Suite Plus includes Parental Controls and few extras.

For example, with the plus edition, there's also backup and recover utilities. There are many advantages to purchasing a premium internet security suite from a trusted vendor, but it is perfectly possible to create your own modular suite by picking the most suitable free products. While this might mean you save money, it does mean you have to do much of the work yourself. You will have to identify the best components, whether its virus protection, firewall or backup software, and fix any problems yourself.

The more components you introduce will increase complexity and system resource use. You will also suffer from the pitfalls of using free services such as frequent adverts urging you to upgrade. Using a premium internet security suite means the vendor integrates several services into a single package that can be managed from a single interface. If you do want to build out your own suite, then you can pick the best of individual components in the following advice guides:.

All of the products on this list offer effective capabilities, so the difference is in additional capabilities. If there is a particular type of threat that concerns you, such as ransomware or phishing, check to see if there are specific protections included. Banking safeguards, firewalls and parental controls are also areas you should consider — especially if there are multiple users on your computer. And of course, you should consider whether you need protection across multiple devices, such as smartphones.

Finally, think about usability and the impact on system performance. Do you want a high level of customization or do you want an easy-to-use interface and do you want a program that is capable of fast scans or one that requires minimal system resources? He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in North America. If you're looking for an antivirus that goes above and beyond simply protecting your computer from malware, Trojans and scammers, then a full-on internet security suite may be a better choice.

Bitdefender Total Security. Beefy protection across all fronts with great protection and features. Maximum devices covered: Stand out features: Safepay online banking protection, high-quality ransomware defenses, web protection module. Reasons to avoid - PC maintenance tools are basic. Norton Deluxe. Maximum devices covered: 5. Reasons to avoid - More performance impact than most.

Kaspersky Total Security. This software is very heavy, took a very long time to install, not because the computer was slow. It has the longest and most time-consuming quick scan and full scan I have ever experienced in all my work with computers. Most importantly, it was really bad at detecting viruses, the freeware I used was much more effective than this poor excuse for an antivirus.

Trust me, do not buy this product, the creators should've been smart enough to know how to make at least a barely decent product. Browse by category. They are based in Finland. Their security suite is not the very best rated, but it is very good, especially for home users. Ten years or so ago, there was a computer virus introduced to the industrial control equipment running an Iranian uranium enrichment facility.

It was called Stuxnet. The virus destroyed the most important machines in the plant, the centrifuges. Just about every computer security firm was trying to figure out what happened.

F-secure was the first to figure out how it was done and make the findings public. What they did made security for industrial systems much better. With it you can choose the country and city it looks like all your internet traffic is coming from.

When I found out Spectrum had moved to them, I ended my personal subscription and downloaded this package from Spectrum. I still keep my Freedome subscription. It has seen better days though. It was once one of the premiere security suites for serious IT types. Often considered 2 or 3 behind Norton. Alas they never really understood marketing and appealing as a glamorous status symbol to the masses. Lack of sales eventually lead to not keeping enough quality people etc.

So first they fell behind in integrated featurism then later fell in detection technology and simply keeping databases up with new malware. So Charter-Spectrum was able to buy up a controlling share.

I have no idea it enough cash was injected to keep actual AV detection up to good speed. Obviously Charter-Spectrum has some very limited ideas about necessary features. Please explain why you have this opinion. I need internet protection and was referred by an IT tech to install this program. Not from spectrum!!! Please help. Hi Keith, Spectrum is just okay as far as protection.

We suggest using McAfee because it has much better protection. You can check out McAfee pricing here. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

McAfee Total Protection.