Security that won’t stall you

ANTI-VIRUS software may stave off trojans, spyware and other nasties from entering your computer, but if often does so at the cost of your machine’s resources.
So it was refreshing to review Computer Associates’ (CA) newest product, CA Internet Security Suite 2007, which installs at just 60 megabytes – a small drop in a big pond of hard drive space nowadays.
CA, for those who are unfamiliar with the brand, is the name behind the long-running VET anti-virus software used by businesses around the world.
CA Internet Security Suite installs a virus scanner, spam filter, spyware scanner, firewall and optional parental Internet controls on your computer, making it the one-stop-shop for your PC security needs.
Not content with installing the product on a fast computer with a relatively clean installation of Windows XP, E-Talk tested it on a lowly PC with a registry and boot-up sequence as clean as a camper’s undies.
The purpose was to gauge what impact the program would have on the computer’s speed and efficiency in other tasks.
The results were promising, with only a slower boot time noticeable, while all our regular applications from email to web browsing ran as they did prior to installation.
The interface is clean and laid out simply, and can be loaded by clicking the discrete CA Internet Security Suite icon in your system tray (the group of icons in the bottom-right of your PC screen).
The only drawback to the suite is there is no clear option to enable or disable the components, forcing newer users to take an intimidating trip to the Advanced Options and lower a set of scales to the “off” position.
E-Talk also found that some tinkering was required with security levels, particularly for the firewall, as the defaults were almost over-protective for our liking and stopped some websites loading properly.
If you’re new to computers and are looking for a solid, all-in-one product that will run on slower computers without hogging resources, then CA Internet Security Suite 2007 is a strong option, particularly at the price of $99.95.
Thank you to Computer Associates for sending E-Talk a review copy of their suite.