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****What is it?****

Shield Deluxe 2009 is antivirus software powered by BitDefender that uses “integrated methods to scan for viruses and other nasty little things that may infect your computer and affect its performance. The Deluxe includes antivirus, anti spyware and adware and rootkit detection. Providing you don’t use your computer for anything “too dodgy” or visit “threatening sites” this should provide all the protection you need for safe internet use.

****System requirements****

The requirements for the Deluxe software is 128MB RAM and 10MB of hard-disc space for program installation. The requirements are minimal, but since most antivirus software programs are small and un-intrusive programs this is to be expected. Deluxe is compatible with many operating systems include Vista, XP, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows ME, so even those of you with much older machines will be able to benefit from Deluxe.

****Downloading and installing****

This antivirus software is downloaded direct form PC Security Shields website. It is an extremely easy process that involves setting up an account and logging in, checking the “download” box, inputting all relevant card details and submitting the information. Within seconds the download will be sat in your on-line account ready for you to install.

The exact download time of the software will depend upon your computer and internet connection type, but as previously stated it is a very small program so shouldn’t take too long whatever your computer/internet connection combination. I have a Inspiron Laptop running BT broadband (right out in the back end of nowhere achieving a download speed of 3M, which is nowhere near BT’s claimed 10M +) and it took about 10 minutes. Once the software is downloaded, the software installation wizard kicks in. It is then simply a matter of following the on-screen instructions before restarting your computer for it to take effect. It really is that simple. However, prior to installation you must disable your existing antivirus software and totally uninstall it from your computer, otherwise the install will fail.

****Using and updating****

Like all bits of antivirus software Deluxe sits as an icon on the bottom toolbar monitoring internet use and alerting you when potential threats come along, which gives you the opportunity to take the appropriate action.

When Deluxe requires updating, like all antivirus programs do on a regular basis, you are informed and advised to take the appropriate action. The updating process takes ages, much longer than McAfee but as long as the computer is fully protected does it really matter? In addition to long updating times scanning also takes an age, again much longer than McAfee, and this is more problematic in my opinion. However, as all the scans were giving negative results, i.e. no problems, it appeared to be doing its job well.

****Price****

I paid .99 US for a year’s Deluxe protection, and this includes the complete package. Considering it came very highly rated by specialist sites and was considered to be better than more commonly known antivirus software I thought this was great value at the time.

****My experience****

The Deluxe appears to be highly rated in the world of computing and after seeing it in the top ten table of antivirus software from many “trusted” computer specialist sites I thought it would be ideal, and since it was rated higher than McAfee (which was my previous choice and had given me 5 years of trouble and problem free internet use) and Norton (which the computer systems where I work use) I truly believed I was on to a winner.

Once I started using Deluxe I noted that the speed of my computer increased. I had read reports that McAfee is notorious for slowing down computers, but since I had never used anything else on my home computer I never really appreciated just how much, so I was quite happy with Deluxe.

When the first round of updates came through and the “Issues that need fixing” box popped up I duly pressed the “fix” button and sat back and waited for Deluxe to do its thing. The process took ages, much longer than McAfee, but it finally reached the end. All issues, except for one were fixed so I repeated the process. Once again, it did not want to resolve one issue so I set it off again. After the fourth failure I gave in and went to contact PC Shield. The only contact details was an email address so I fired off an email for assistance.

Despite the unresolved issue the Deluxe appeared to be doing its job whilst I was using the computer and I got all the usual notifications about pop ups being blocked, and warnings that something was trying to be installed etc. etc. so I was not overly concerned. Besides, the unresolved issue was in respect of updates.

After two weeks of waiting I still had not received a reply from PC Shield so I fired off another email. A response came two days later giving a link to the download instructions, along with a couple of lines of text suggesting removing the software and re-installing it once more, ensuring that any trace of my previous antivirus software was eradicated. I must admit that this advice was pretty useless and they PC Shield were stating the obvious. Everyone knows that if you can’t get software working properly the first port of call is removal and re-installation, and this was something I had tried previously but to no avail. Not impressed with the advice I was given I sent another email and many subsequent emails but to this day I have never received a response.

The nail in the coffin for Deluxe arrived two weeks ago when I managed to get a virus, my first ever. Whilst

In 2006, there were more than 4,000 new IT security vulnerabilities identified that could impact your daily computer operating systems. It is true, because larger firms have more resources, they are usually better protected as opposed to smaller to medium size firms. For small to medium sized firms It Security can become a challenge.

Some of the dangerous attacks on businesses were, Nimda, Code Red, SQL, Slammert, and Blaster. All of these attacks mentioned spread like wildfire through the Internet. Small Businesses, may be vulnerable to mass attacks in comparison to large corporations. An example of such an attack, “Mydoom” which struck with a vengeance in 2004. In addition, the “Mydoom” attack affected 1 in 3 small to medium business as compared to 1 in 6 large enterprises. There is one factor that makes Small to Medium business more prone to attack. Smaller companies tend to be homogenous in terms of their computer infrastructure. Approximately 90% of small businesses are running Windows on their servers on a day to day basis. About 75% of these companies use Outlook and Exchange on a daily basis.

In most cases, small businesses lack highly trained staff that can address IT security in an adequate manner. As previously mentioned, large companies have a definite advantage and the resources available to secure a highly skilled IT staff.

There are some excellent Industry Solutions that would solve many of the current problems small to medium sized companies are experiencing. Installing Routers. Routers provide high-tech “Packet Filtering”, and are used to enhance the security of a network. In addition, there are also some attacks that are performed on the router to optimize performance and reduce processing load on the entire system.

Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) ,will analyze all computer & Internet traffic and determine the legitimacy. The IDS System can look at traffic and make a determination weather or not it is a NIMDA attack. The system will alert all invalid or attack traffic.

Firewalls, installing good firewalls will restrict outbound access to traffic that is deemed legitimate by the company’s security policy. In addition, firewalls will allow outbound web access for employees only. Inbound access will normally be block.

Anti-Virus Software, will scan all emails and look for well defined viruses. Anti-Virus solutions can be implemented in each employees desktop computer, ASA, or email function. It is very important to keep all Anti-Virus Software updated, if not it can virtually become ineffective.

Virtual Private Network, provides critical security by allowing the internet to be used in a private manner. In addition, the VPN will allow data to be sent between employees which is encrypted. High security and Privacy is provided through the VPN while in transit, but it doesn’t secure endpoints from other attacks.

Spam Filtering is necessary and can be implemented directly on the email server. Spam provides protection against “Phishing” attacks. Phishing attacks, are mass messages that are crafted to look like legitimate mail from a bank or merchant. These attacks can be extremely dangerous because it asks recipient to verify and volunteer personal and secure information. Overall, Spam Filtering improves security and productivity within the work place.

There are certain things that small to medium sized companies need to do in order to examine their overall security threats and the value of current systems and applications being used. A). A security risk assessment must be performed. B). An information security policy must be developed and approved. This kind of policy is for managing and sharing sensitive data, monitor compliance, and lower IT costs and lower IT deficency rate. C). An adequate network must be designed and secured. D). Top notch Anti-Virus software must be installed on the system. E). An operating system must be used that has strong security baseline capabilities. F). Any unnecessary network applications must be removed for optimal performance. Installing or downloading useless programs only serves to slow down computer function hindering performance. G). Firewall software must be used at all times. Firewalls are critical especially for corporations. H). Strong Authentication needs to be used. No emails should ever be opened unless the origin and sender can be identified. I). A strong computer incidence response plan must be created. If problems do occur within the computer netwrok, they must be reported immediately and resolved promptly.

There are certain measures that smaller companies need to implement to protect their computer system. Making these changes could prove to be quite costly, but when it comes to computer security and the future of a business, it may be well worth the cost.