Panda Security has announced the African launch of its new 2009 consumer solutions: Panda Antivirus Pro 2009, Panda Internet Security 2009 and Panda Global Protection 2009.
Through utilising Collective Intelligence, its revolutionary new security model of protection from the cloud, Panda's new products aim to achieve faster and more effective detection and disinfection with a minimum consumption of bandwidth and PC resources.
"Panda's Collective Intelligence works as an online, real-time database that stores the majority of signature files, keeping them at a minimum on the users' PCs," explains Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda's sub-Saharan operations.
"The new consumer products use not only Collective Intelligence to carry out on-demand scans from the cloud but also protect users while surfing the Web, determine whether e-mails are safe or not, provide better protection against unknown malware and scan programs shared through instant messaging applications."
Currently, Panda Security's Collective Intelligence network comprises four million computers. The knowledge accumulated in the system is composed of more than 13 million malware samples, and over 100 million analysed programs. In 2007, more than 94% of all new threats that reached PandaLabs were detected through Collective Intelligence.
Every Panda user is a sensor for new malware, sending statistical data about malware prevalence back to the cloud. This new approach reduces bandwidth consumption on customers' PCs and provides faster and more comprehensive up-to-date protection. This model not only allows detecting much more malware than the manual systems that most anti-malware laboratories use, but is also able to detect even new threats not yet recognised.
Panda is capable to detect even the most sophisticated malware thanks to its beefed-up TruPrevent 2.0 engine for behaviour-based malware detection which provides proactive protection against unknown malware and attacks that exploit software vulnerabilities.
Panda Security's consumer solutions incorporate its hallmark "Identity Protect" technology, which proactively detects any attempt to steal confidential data through a heuristic scanner. To ensure safe online shopping and banking, Panda's new solutions include a new engine for neutralising banker Trojans. Both Panda Internet Security 2009 and Panda Global Protection 2009 incorporate a personal data filter which allows users to define confidential information (account numbers, passwords, etc) that should not leave the PC without the user's consent. All this aims at preventing theft of confidential data.
The new anti-spam engine included in Panda Internet Security 2009 and Panda Global Protection 2009 uses Collective Intelligence technology that has increased the spam detection rate, thereby eliminating the vast majority of unwanted e-mail.
The new product line
Panda Antivirus Pro 2009 offers fast, easy-to-use protection against viruses, spyware and hackers, and includes a new engine against identity theft. Similarly, it prevents hackers from getting into the computer, thanks to its built-in Panda firewall. It is mainly aimed at people who need an easy-to-install, simple protection. The price of a licence for up to three PCs is R399, and R199 for one PC.
Panda Internet Security 2009 is an integrated suite against all types of cyber threats and includes a new anti-spam filter and parental control so children can surf the Internet safely. It is aimed at families and users who require maximum protection to use the Internet with complete peace of mind. The licence for up to three PCs will cost R599.
Panda Global Protection 2009 incorporates the features included in the other two solutions, combined with a 2GB premium online backup system and system restoring tools. These features help protect the most important files against accidental loss or damage. Its tune-up tool allows for the optimisation of your PC so that it can run as effectively as possible. It is aimed at advanced Internet users who need to carry out online activities (purchases, bank transactions, tax return payments, etc). It is also suitable for small business and home users. The price of a licence for up to three PCs is R699.
These products are available at http://www.pandasecurity.com/southafrica and at all good IT retailers.
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