PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 (Old Version) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I will preface this review by saying that I purchased the 2004 edition just 3 days before the 2005 edition was released, but Trend did me right and gave me a free upgrade. That's a plus right out of the starting gate.
I originally switched to Trend from Norton after having slowdowns and resource shortages. Norton is very large and very slow, but by and large it worked for me. I was hesitant to make the switch, but I decided to do it anyway and see how Trend's product works. I have not been disappointed. First off, the memory footprint for this package is about half that of Norton when everything is turned on. For me, that's important - Norton takes up huge amounts of memory and slows the system down, where Trend takes up less room and seems to be a lot faster at execution time.
Trend has always had a very fast and very effective antivirus. This latest version is no exception. However, where this package seems to shine most brightly in the antivirus arena is in the timeliness of pattern file updates. Less than a week after the release of a particular email virus, Trend caught it arriving in my inbox and terminated it before it could do anything. To have a pattern for a brand new virus and already be able to handle it is a very, very good thing.
The firewall itself is quite effective and it seems to do its job very efficiently. Where it tends to bother people is in the fact that it is a very quiet firewall and it does not notify for every little thing like Norton or ZoneLabs do. This may or may not agree with you, but for me I'm content that it's working in the background and isn't bothering me with every little thing that happens.
The spyware detection feature seems to have come of age, and even after running SpyBot S&D and Ad-Aware, it still found spyware on my system. It did a good job cleaning up and it did everything very fast and efficiently.
There are a couple of things I cannot test, as I am on dialup. There are new network protection features that allow remote security administration for systems on the network running Trend's suite, and there is also a neat feature that loooks for intruders on wireless networks. Considering that cybersquatting on wireless networks is very common, this is an important feature that should be in all security suites. If you are running a wireless network, this feature will be invaluable.
Trend includes a parental control feature in its suite, and it works in a fashion similar to Norton's and ZoneLab's equivalents. You pick your categories to block, and you're done. However, there is a flaw in their implementation - the blocking only seems to work with MS Internet Explorer. So, if you use Mozilla/FireFox or Opera, you're out of luck if you want to use the URL blocking.
There is also an antispam feature, but it is not going to prevent spam from arriving in your inbox. Rather, it simply flags questionable messages as spam in the subject at delivery. This can help with sorting and disposal, but it will not keep it from being delivered. In my opinion, spam should never reach the email client if you have an antispam solution in place, so I regard this particular feature as ineffective. I suppose it is better than nothing, though, and many users will find it helpful - I don't. I didn't like Norton's, either, which works the same way.
One interesting feature that Trend sports is "Outbreak Notification" which is used to alert users when a new, high-risk threat is circulating. Users will get a notification when a new high-profile virus is spreading, and that can be helpful if you're relying on manual updates.
Trend Micro has put together a winner in their 2005 edition of their PC-Cillin Internet Security suite. It does not lack any major features, and the majority of the things they have included are very good and very effective. There are a few soft spots, but these are not critical to system security, and overall Trend is quickly catching up to the "big boys." If you want a fast, small-footprint security solution that competes very competently with the likes of Norton, ZoneLabs and McAfee, Trend is an excellent contender.

Click Here to see more reviews about: PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 (Old Version)

Superior protection for your PC and home network Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 protects your PC and home network against all types of viruses, worms, Trojans, and blended threats—including network viruses, like MYDOOM and SASSER. It also blocks hackers, detects and removes spyware, guards against phishing attacks, filters unwanted content, and minimizes spam. New features include Home Network Control and Wi-Fi Intrusion Detection—extending desktop security to your home and wireless networks.

Click here for more information about PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 (Old Version)