AVG Internet Security 2011 Review – Rush to Release Part VII

AVG Internet Security 2011 Review – Rush to Release Part VII

Fall 2012 Addendum For a listing of PC Magazine Internet Suite 2012 rankings go to
http://kensek.blogspot.com/2011/08/best-internet-security-suites-2012-pc.html

For a PC Magazine review of AVG Internet Security 2012, go to
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392086,00.asp

Original Post

AVG Technologies announced the release of AVG Internet Security 2011 on September 28. This, AVG Anti-Virus 2011, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011, AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition 2011, and AVG Internet Security Small Business Edition 2011 and the rest of AVG’s internet security solutions are released. A number of AVG Internet Security 2011 reviews.

AVG Introduces AVG 2011 Enhanced Internet Security Software Suite

Link to PC Magazine ratings of Internet Security 2012 suites http://kensek.blogspot.com/2011/08/best-internet-security-suites-2012-pc.html

Consumer and Business Free and Paid Offerings Feature Enhancements Based on Community Feedback and Rise in Popularity of Social Networking

AMSTERDAM, September 28, 2010– AVG Technologies, makers of the world’s most popular free anti-virus software, today announced the immediate availability of its newest Internet security suite, AVG 2011. The design of AVG 2011 incorporates feedback from AVG’s global community of more than 110 million users and includes enhanced Web- and social network-protection, among the best detection rates in the industry, ease-of-use and a faster, nimble and more powerful design. AVG 2011 is the company’s most advanced consumer and small business solution to-date.

ck - Much of the emphasis of the release seemed to be on under the hood improvements. For AVG 2011, speed was emphasized,ease of use, and the need to protect people while they perform social networking. Some of Smart Scanning was part of the 2010 (not scanning files on the laptop that had already been scanned, and remained unchanged was part of the 2010 version 9 release) The below is extracted from the press release. Some AVG blogs go into detail as to what is new versus what is enhanced in the product release.

Superior Web Protection – Including Social Network Protection for Facebook and MySpace

Enhanced User Experience - The Simplest and Easiest to Use (including 5 click installations)

Among the Best Detection Rates in the Industry

Social Networking Protection

Community Protection Network

Protective Cloud Technology

Smarter Scanning

Auto-Fix Button

Desktop Widget - Provides quick and simple access to AVG 2011’s main features, as well as relevant news and updates.

Faster, Lighter, and More Powerful

Desktop Widget - Provides access to AVG 2011’s main features, as well as relevant news and updates.

Game Mode - (ck – Actually available in 8.5 and 9.0)

AVG Online Shield™ - Download and share files without risk of infection. Protection while exchanging files through online chat.

Consumer and Business Free and Paid Offerings Feature Enhancements Based on Community Feedback and Rise in Popularity of Social Networking

Social Network Protection - LinkScanner allows users to surf, search, email, shop and use social networks online with the confidence that the pages they surf are not compromised and the places they choose to visit online are safe to enter personal and private information. LinkScanner automatically checks and protects, in real-time, links exchanged within social networks such as Facebook and MySpace.Hassle free, with no configuration required - protection is automatically activated so you’re safe.

Enhanced User Experience - The Simplest and Easiest to Use – single click “Fix It” button. 5 screen install. AVG 2011 includes a “game mode,” which scans and protects users’ computers behind the scenes without interrupting full screen, multi-media applications with pop-up notifications (ck – “game mode was available In 9.0).

Faster, Lighter, and More Powerful - Smart Scanning, a new functionality that learns which files are certified and safe and only scans new, uncertified files on a user’s computer. When AVG 2011 Smart Scanning does scan a user’s computer, it pays attention to the system resources in use and only scans those resources not in use at the time of the scan Smart Scanning (ck – some of this actually introduced in 9.0 and enhanced in 10.0)

For the actual press release, go to http://www.avg.com/us-en/press-releases-news.ndi-283905

Review Comments on AVG Internet Security PC 2011– PC Magazine

The stars were not shining on AVG Internet Security 2011 from PC Magazine, as it received 2.5 stars out of 5 from PC Magazine’s Neil Rubenking in an October 7th review. CNET’s Seth Rosenblatt was a bit more kind in his review, awarding the product 4 stars.

From PC Magazine (out of 5 stars. The list below is a subset that has been listed in Rush to Release)

• 4.5 – Norton Internet Security 2011 (Editor’s Choice)
• 4.0 – Kaspersky Internet Security 2011
• 4.0 – Webroot Internet Security Complete 2011
• 3.5 – McAfee Total Protection 2011
• 3.5 – Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2011
• 3.0 – PC Tools Internet Security 2011
• 3.0 – F-Secure Internet Security 2011
• 3.0 – Panda Internet Security 2011
• 2.5 – AVG Internet Security Suite 2011

For a more complete listing, go to http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,1639159,00.asp

Overall - From a saving money perspective, Rubenking felt that consumers could do better to match the free antivirus with a free firewall and (Zone Alarm) and spam filter (Cloudmark Desktop One). For customers who wanted to purchase a full desktop suite (with 3 licenses), he suggested Norton or Kaspersky. Links to feature grids of these products (including the companies’ AV offerings are located in the 2011 Internet Security Solution Released section.

On the plus side - High marks from independent antivirus labs. Good malware detection in testing. LinkScanner blocks exploits, malicious sites. Free identity theft recovery service. Includes tune-up utility. Accurate spam filtering. Small effect on system performance. (ck – note that the tune-up utility is a onetime tune-up, AVG has introduced a separate tune up product with this release.)

On the negative side – the product was found less effective at removing malware, and the antiiphisihing and firewall companies were criticized.

Much of the commentary had to do with the fact that so much of the functionality seemed to be contained within the Anti-virus component, with that functionality virtually identical to AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition.

Malware Removal – Rubenking felt that the product provided good virus protection, but with incomplete removal. It scored tied for the top in rootkit detection, and about average for malware and keyloggers. It’s worthwhile to individuals to look at the pop-up table “AVG Internet Security 2011 malware removal chart” for details of all 2011 products tested to date.

Malware Blocking – A number of products outperformed Internet Security 2011 in this test. It’s worthwhile for individual to look at the “AVG Internet Security 2011 malware blocking chart”. AVG blocked 78% of the rootkits, for example, while 8 of the 10 products blocked 100%.

Antiphishing and Privacy – AVG scored near the bottom 69% worse than the top product, Norton. Individuals should look at the pop-up for details, “AVG Internet Security 2011 antiphishing chart”

Safe Social Networking - Rubenking complimented (new in this release), the products ability to provide Facebook event notification through the optional toolbar (also provided is 1 year of identity theft recover help through Identity Guard)

AVG PC Tune-Up 2011 - For 24 hours after purchase AVG Internet Security 2011 customers can perform a single tune-up for free. There's also a 24-hour trial period for many of the tune-up tool's additional features. Rubenking recommended taking advantage of the free trial period (ck – some competing products include unlimited PC tune-up capabilities with their internet security product. Readers will have to click on the features grids below for more details)

Firewall – Rubenking talked about the firewall in detail. He had mixed opinions about the firewall finding the Windows firewall fairly adequate. Its program control puts too much reliance on the user's security decisions. In a test he ran using the Core Impact penetration tool, Rubenking found that LinkScanner blocked 2/3 of the exploits while Norton and Kaspersky blocked all of them.

Performance – Rubenking defined performance as including boot time, filing moving/copying among others. He found the product to be about average with the exception of its tie for performance in the boot time test. Readers should go to the article and “AVG Internet Security 2011 performance chart” and comparative details.

For the full review, much more detail and access to all tables (worth looking at!) go to http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370326,00.asp

Review Comments on AVG Internet Security 2011 – CNET

CNET gave AVG Internet Security 2011 4 stars. Seth Rosenblatt complimented the product on faster scan times, shorter install (now 5 clicks), improved usability, and faster scans.

However, he also wrote that “while the premium product does its best to make it worth your while to upgrade, but unless you're regularly in need of support and PC tuning it's hard to justify paying when the efficacy ratings are less than stellar.” He also cited the increased competition between other free and paid security suites.

Installation – Rosenblatt complimented AVG on the fact the reduced number of screens it takes to install the product has been reduced from 13 to 5screens. He also culled out the fact that user installing the

Interface - Found the changes minor but that usability was improved.

One click Fix button for automatically fixing security breaches was complimented in the review as was the One click Scan now button.

Other Features (not comprehensive)

Smart Scanning - Rosenblatt complimented the “smart scanning” feature. This makes use of AVG’s behavioral detection network to scan-known-safe files one and then scan them again if it detects changes. (ck – some of AVG’s competitors utilize a similar technology)

Resource Management – Users can accept a default setting (use resources only when system is idle) or they can adjust it themselves (ck – users always have the option of having scans run at night or when they know they will be away from their system)

Social Networking Protection - Rosenblatt liked this new feature where AVG LinkScanner will scan links posted on Facebook and MySpace.

Telephone Support - Telephone support is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (ck – available for users of paid products. Probably a result of a combination of competitive pressures and the Walling Data purchase.

New Desktop Widget - for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users. Lets them initiate scans and updates with one click, without having to open the full interface. Contains links to AVG's Twitter and Facebook pages.

Download Scan - Looks at all ports, not just port 80, when checking files sent via instant message.

Performance In CNET's tests, AVG Internet Security 2011 was a bit slower than the median. MS Office performance and Cinebench results were slightly below average, whereas iTunes decoding and media multitasking were slightly faster than average.

For the complete review including a detailed performance table, go to - http://download.cnet.com/AVG-Internet-Security/3000-2239_4-10710160.html

Mixed Review from PC Advisor

PC Advisor gave a mixed review AVG Internet Security 2011, awarding the product 3.5 stars out of 5.0.

The summary verdict from PC Advisor was, “AVG Internet Security 2011 offers all the modules you would expect in a comprehensive protection suite, but its annoying habit of trying to sell you additional services, and its tendency to slow your system down during anti-virus scans, make this software less useful than it otherwise would be.” However, they also said,” those who like to configure their own security settings will find a wealth of options to tweak.” They found that AVG Internet Security 2011 provided a full complement of tools and liked the simple to use interface.

PC Advisor’s system took 3 hours to perform an initial scan, which they stated was slow. They may not have understood that scans after the initial scan would be much faster. They found fault with the PC Analyzer module. They were concerned with the number of register errors it found during its system test. It appears that 3 others products they ran against the system found significantly fewer errors. PC Analyzer performs fixes for free the first time. After that there is an annual fee to install and run the product.

For the complete review, go to http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=3244107

The Differences Between AVG Anti-virus Free Edition, AVG Anti-virus and AVG Internet Security 2011

AVG Anti-virus Free Edition 2011 – Anti-Virus, Ant-Spyware, Enhanced Anti-rootkit, New Social Networking Protection, Enhanced LinkScanner

AVG Anti- virus 2011- Adds Online Shield for Safe Download, Online Shield for Safe Chatting

AVG Internet Security Suite 2011 - Adds Identity Protection, Enhanced Firewall, Anti-Spam

For a grid showing the above http://tinyurl.com/33ltpez

Of course, one person’s “great new feature” is another person’s “bloat ware” if they can’t make use of that functionality.

AVG Certifications and Testing (not comprehensive, not 2011 product for AVG, a combination of 2010 and 2011 for the others)

Certifications are typically given for a particular product, version number, and on a specific platform. Organizations will frequently require that the certification logos be linked back to the organization’s web site. Certification logos may be placed in close proximity of products that that weren’t awarded (halo effect). For example, a certification for a consumer version of a product doesn’t automatically mean that the business version is certified. To validate certifications, customers should find an area on the company’s site that does link back to the certification organizations'

Note - On October 12, AVG formally announced AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition and AVG Internet Security Business Edition. Certifications for the consumer versions of these products cannot be attributed to these automatically and vice versa.

Virus Bulletin - Customer’s should only be concerned with the last 2 or 3 years of a vendor’s performance when looking at this. With respect to receiving VB100 Awards for entries since 2008 to current time. For AVG Technologies’ test history for the VB100 award, go to http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/archive/results?vendor=VE10 .
Note the product tested, and the platform tested on . AVG did receive an October VB 100 reward. This was using Internet Security 2010 running on Windows Server 2003.

AVG performed okay, but did not crack the top nine in the Virus Bulletin’s RAP (Reactive and Proactive detection test for the the August through October time frame. It Performed above 90% in Reactive Protection but scored just below 70% in Proactive Detection. This test measures products' reactive and proactive detection abilities against the most recent malware that has emerged around the world. For a thorough description of the test, go to . http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/vb200902-RAP-tests . To see the quadrant go to http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/rap-index.xml . http://www.virusbtn.com

ICSA Labs –To generate a list of current certifications AVG has received, go to https://www.icsalabs.com/products . 2010 Product tests and certified as of September 2010 are AVG Internet Security 2010 and AVG File Server (desktop/server anti-virus detection)

AV-Test – AVG Internet Security 2010 received 5.5 for Protection, 4.0 for Repair and 5.5 for Usability, out of 6.0, in the “AV-Test Product Review and Certification Report” - 2010/Q2. The product did receive certification. www.av-test.org

AV-Comparatives – AVG Anti-virus 2010 was one of 7 companies to receive an Advanced 2 star rating in AV-Comparatives’ August “On Demand Detection of Malicious Software Test”. Nine companies received an Advanced 3 star rating. http://www.av-comparatives.org/comparativesreviews/main-tests

West Coast Labs Checkmark – For a list of AVG product with Checkmark Platinum Certification and Checkmark Certification, go to http://www.westcoastlabs.com/checkmark/productList/?vendorID=32 As of September 2010, these are the 9.0 versions. AVG was one of the first companies to receive a Checkmark Platinum certification.

http://www.westcoastlabs.com/checkmark/productList/?vendorID=32 www.westcoastlabs.com

All the above organization are members of the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (www.amtso.org) The Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) was founded in May 2008 as an international non-profit association that focuses on the addressing the global need for improvement in the objectivity, quality and relevance of anti-malware testing methodologies.


Other Vendor’s Internet Security 2011 and Other Suites – Sampling of New Features

Some interesting features not available in AVG Internet Security in these company’s internet security and/or security solutions include (not comprehensive) for a sample of the companies below:

BitDefender – Chat Encryption, Online Back-up, File Encryption

Panda Security - Secure Browser, Remote PC-Access, File Encryption, File Shredding

Norton – Online back-up, Remote File-Access, PC-Tune-up

Kaspersky - Safe Desktop, Block Websites by Country Code, Special Online Banking Mode

Internet Security 2011 Solutions Released

Clicking on the links below will take you to the complete comparison tables. These are for the company’s anti-virus, internet security, and other security suite solutions in checklist form.

• BitDefender Total Security 2011 was released around August 16. For product details - http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/total-security.
• Kaspersky - Kaspersky announced Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 on August 16 For product details -http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_services/compare/
• Panda Security – Panda Internet Security Suite 2011 was announced on July 27. For product details - http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/
• Webroot - Webroot Internet Security Complete 2011 was announced on July 26. For product details http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-compare.html
• Symantec – Symantec introduced their Norton consumer security solutions in early September. For product details: http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/charts/comparison.jsp?pcid=mp
• Trend Micro - Trend Micro introduced their Titanium product line in early September. For product details: http://us.trendmicro.com/us/products/personal/titanium-maximum-security/ and click on “product comparison”
• F-Secure - F-Secure announced their internet security product line on September 15. For product details: http://www.f-secure.com/en_US/products/home-office/internet-security/ and then click on compare products.
• McAfee – McAfee announced their 2011 retail product line on September 30. For product details: http://home.mcafee.com/root/landingpage.aspx?LPName=/3products&culture=en-us&cid=83103

• AVG Technologies – AVG Technologies announced their AVG 2011 product line on September 29. For product details: http://tinyurl.com/33ltpez

2011 Internet Security Solutions That Haven’t Been Released

• Avast – No official release date has been announced.
• Avira – No official release data has been announced.

Revenue from AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition?

Approximately 75 million downloads of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition took place from www.download.com last year. AVG’s publicly talked about installed base is 110 million. This suggests a lot of churn, or perhaps people using the product just once to do a clean-up. A portion migrate to a paid product as well. Switching costs from a free product? $0.

The preferred migration path to revenue for AVG from the free users purchase AVG Internet Security 2011. However, these two reviewers are more or less suggesting that the free customers keep what they have. Rubenking even goes so far to suggest that they can create a suite using AVG’s Free Anti-virus, a free firewall, and a free spam filter from Cloudmark (Desktop One, 5 stars). Product revenue to AVG $0. Toolbar revenue and other revenue is unknown. Another free alternative would be to replace AVG Anti-virus Free Edition (3.5 out of 5) Panda Cloud Security (Editor’s Choice, and 4.0 out of 5). These users could then download AVG LinkScanner for Free. In the Wall Street Journals’ 2010 Technology Innovation Awards on September 22, Panda came in second in the Network Security Category. This results in lost toolbar revenue for AVG.

Should these customers decide to upgrade to a full internet security suite, Rubenking is suggesting Norton or Kaspersky as alternatives. Norton was Rubenking’s Editor’s Choice in the Internet Security category). The product Panda came in second to in the Wall Street Journal? Norton. This may not have quite the same cachet as receiving Walter Mossberg’s seal of approval, but it’s quite impressive.

What does CNET’s Rosenblatt have to suggest about AVG Free Edition users upgrading to AVG Internet Security? “But unless you're regularly in need of support and PC tuning it's hard to justify paying when the efficacy ratings are less than stellar.”

Non AVG customers looking for a new free or internet security solution? - As mentioned above Panda Security received top billing from Rubenking and for a suite, he’s suggesting Kaspersky or Norton. These people can then download the standalone version of AVG LinkScanner. Of course, this is where partners come in to provide the suite for free in exchange for purchasing some other good or service.


AVG Technologies Initial Public Offering (IPO) – As of October 1

Several publications in Europe wrote (unnamed sources) that AVG Technologies intended to go public on November 10 on the Warsaw exchange.
According to AVG CEO J.R. Smith in the September 29 edition of the Prague Post, there has been no decision to list shares of AVG Technologies on either the Warsaw or any other bourse.

For more details, go to “September 30 Addendum: AVG Technologies IPO to Appear on Warsaw Stock Exchange” November 10? http://tinyurl.com/2f3obhp and “September Addendum - AVG Technologies Prepares to Go Public” http://tinyurl.com/2875ne3

This blog is subject to updates.

McAfee Internet Security 2011 – Rush to Release Part VI

McAfee Consumer 2011 Retail Versions Begins Rolling out in Stores

Link to AVG Internet Security 2011 PC Magazine Review AVG IS 2011 PC Magazine Review http://tinyurl.com/366n5mg

McAfee introduced its 2011 security product line (retail editions) on September 30. These include McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2011, McAfee Internet Security 2011, and McAfee Total Protection 2011. A product review of one or more of these solutions will be appearing by numerous publications quickly. McAfee is promoting that with their 2011 product line they provide the fastest, lightest and most effective consumer PC protection in the company’s history. McAfee Labs researchers proactively search for new cyberthreats by using the millions of computers running McAfee software as the discovery beacon.

Some of the Features McAfee is Promoting

• Enhanced performance and fast installation.
• 325% faster scans.
• Updates are only initiated when the computer is idle.
• Easy to use interface. The new products simplify the experience for both novices and experts.
• Scheduled activity throttling which pauses McAfee updates until the computer is idle.

To see the press release go to - http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3680

Some Differentiators

McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2011 - No scan interruptions with Scheduler and Idle Timer. Includes McAfee Quick Clean Tool.

McAfee Internet Security 2011 – Adds the above plus Anti-Spam and email protection, McAfee Online Back-up, Child Protection with enhanced Parental Controls.

McAfee Total Protection 2011 – Adds the above plus McAfee Anti-theft, some home network protection, McAfee SiteAdvisor Plus.

Of course one person’s “great new benefit” is another person’s “bloatware” if they can’t make use of that functionality.
http://home.mcafee.com/root/landingpage.aspx?LPName=/3products&culture=en-us&cid=83103

McAfee touts their SiteAdvisor technology as providing safe web surfing. SiteAdvisor adds small site rating colored icons to search results as well as a browser button and optional search box. These advise web surfers as to the safety of a site.

These site ratings are based on tests conducted by McAfee using a large number of computers that look for all kinds of threats. For details, go to http://www.siteadvisor.com/howitworks/index.html . This product competes against AVG Technologies AVG LinkScanner® offering.


McAfee Certifications and Testing (not comprehensive, not 2011 product)

Certifications are typically given for a particular product, version number, and on a specific platform. Organizations will frequently require that the certification logos be linked back to the organization’s web site. Certification logos may be placed in close proximity of products that that weren’t awarded (halo effect). Where are the logo license enforcers when you need them? For example, a certification for a consumer version of a product doesn’t automatically mean that the business version is certified. To validate certifications, customers should find an area on the company’s site that does link back to the certification organizations' sites.

Virus Bulletin - Customer’s should only be concerned with the last 2 or 3 years of a vendor’s performance when looking at this. McAfee is 11-3 with respect to receiving VB100 Awards for entries since 2008 (through August) 2010.

McAfee Total Protection was not one of the top performers in the RAP Averages Quadrant. It performed under 90% in Reactive Protection and just over 60% in Proactive Detection. This test measures products' reactive and proactive detection abilities against the most recent malware that has emerged around the world. http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/rap-index.xml

www.virusbtn.com

ICSA Labs – Go to https://www.icsalabs.com/products to generate a list of current certifications McAfee has received.

AV-Test – McAfee Internet Security 2010 received 5.0 for Protection, 2.0 for Repair and 3.5 for Usability, out of 6.0, in the AV-Test Product Review and Certification Report - 2010/Q2. The product did not receive certification. www.av-test.org

AV-Comparatives – McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010 was one of 7 companies to receive an Advanced 2 star rating in AV-Comparatives August “On Demand Detection of Malicious Software Test”. Nine companies received an Advanced 3 star rating. http://www.av-comparatives.org/comparativesreviews/main-tests

West Coast Labs Checkmark – McAfee has a number of Checkmark certified products. Go to http://www.westcoastlabs.com/checkmark/productList/?vendorID=16 They don’t have any Checkmark Platinum certified products as of August 2010. www.westcoastlabs.com

All the above organization are members of the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (www.amtso.org) The Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) was founded in May 2008 as an international non-profit association that focuses on the addressing the global need for improvement in the objectivity, quality and relevance of anti-malware testing methodologies.

2011 Internet Security Solutions Released

The lines below contain feature checklists for a number of each of the company's products.

• BitDefender Total Security 2011 was released around August 16. For product details - http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/total-security.
• Kaspersky - Kaspersky announced Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 on August 16 For product details -http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_services/compare/
• Panda Security – Panda Internet Security Suite 2011 was announced on July 27. For product details - http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/
• Webroot - Webroot Internet Security Complete 2011 was announced on July 26. For product details http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-compare.html
• Symantec – Symantec introduced their Norton consumer security solutions in early September. For product details: http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/charts/comparison.jsp?pcid=mp
• Trend Micro - Trend Micro introduced their Titanium product line in early September. For product details: http://us.trendmicro.com/us/products/personal/titanium-maximum-security/ and click on “product comparison”
• F-Secure - F-Secure announced their internet security product line on September 15. For product details: http://www.f-secure.com/en_US/products/home-office/internet-security/ and then click on compare products.
• AVG Technologies – AVG Technologies announced their AVG 2011 product line on September 29. For product details: http://www.avg.com/us-en/home-and-office-security-comparison
• McAfee – McAfee announced their 2011 retail product line on September 30. For product details: http://home.mcafee.com/root/landingpage.aspx?LPName=/3products&culture=en-us&cid=83103


2011 Internet Security Solutions That Haven’t Been Released

• Avast – No official release date has been announced.
• Avira – No official release data has been announced.

McAfee Acquired By Intel

The market for security companies was hot this summer. No longer will McAfee be an independent ship, sailing the internet to protect users from Malware. McAfee accepted an offer to be acquired by Intel for a premium of 60% over the previous day’s closing price on August 18. http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3678.

This blog is subject to updates.

September 30 Addendum: AVG Technologies IPO to Appear on Warsaw Stock Exchange November 10?

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October 8 Addendum - PC Magazine Review of AVG Internet Security 2011 AVG IS 2011 PC Magazine Review http://tinyurl.com/366n5mg

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Blog amended Sept. 30

It looks as if AVG Technologies Initial Public Offering (IPO) “may” take place November 10 with the stock appearing on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The range of the initial market capitalization is unchanged from earlier articles in the press, 400 million to 800 million EUR. The November 10 IPO date appeared in the press in Europe in several publications during the latter half of the week of September 19. Nothing new about the stock appearing on the London Stock Exchange.

In the US, market activity in the security world has been high, as previously written. McAfee is being acquired by Intel. Hewlett Packard won a bidding war for 3PAR over Dell Computer. Hewlett Packard signed an agreement to acquire ArcSight, acquire ArcSight security and compliance management company. http://ir.arcsight.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=506759 There were also rumors about Trend Micro being approached for a takeover. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-09/trend-micro-shares-surge-in-tokyo-after-digitimes-takeover-approach-report.html. This activity could conceivably lead to a pop in the initial price when the stock goes public.

The end of September target launch date of the AVG 2011 set of internet security solutions is (obviously) well ahead of the company's IPO date. There will probably be a number of reviews by publications evaluating one or more of the products shortly after release. Test results by organizations such as www.virusbtn.com, www.icsalabs.com and www.av-comparatives.org will reflect the previous release of the products for awhile.

The translations below are from using “Google translate”.

Finance.cz

AVG is about to enter the Warsaw Stock Exchange

September 23, 2010

http://www.finance.cz/zpravy/finance/281364-avg-technologies-se-chysta-vstoupit-na-varsavskou-burzu-/

According to financial newspaper about a Czech producer of antivirus software, AVG their entry (IPO - a primary offering of shares) IPO would take place November 10, 2010. The value of the IPO would be between 400 mill and 800 million (EUR 2.5 billion to CZK 5 billion. Total Offer (IPO plus addition emissions (sic)) can be up to one billion PLN, ie about 6.3 billion CZK

Interia.pl

Czechs Rush Swiftly To Warsaw

September 25

http://biznes.interia.pl/gieldy/news/czesi-chyzo-pedza-na-warszawe,1536481

The Czech company AVG Technologies is incorporated in The Netherlands. Grisoft is a former founded in 1991 by John Gritzbacha and Tomas Hofer, author of the AVG antivirus program. The largest investor is a venture capital fund Polish Enterprise Investors.

AVG is planning to debut on November 10. It wants to collect one billion of the IPO zł.

Kurzy.cz

AVG Should Appear on the Warsaw Stock Exchange November 10th

September 22

http://zpravy.kurzy.cz/244684-avg-by-se-mela-na-varsavske-burze-objevit-10-listopadu/

Shares of Czech software company AVG would be on the Warsaw stock exchange were to occur the 10th November, write the Polish stock market Wednesday Parkiet Daily.

Warsaw Stock Exchange

The Warsaw Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Eastern Europe. There are 384 companies on the exchange. 361 of them are domestic and 23 foreign. Roughly 1/3 of the market value of the WSE is based on the foreign companies’ value. The Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) operates based on the Act on Trading in Financial Instruments of July 29, 2005 under the supervision of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority http://www.gpw.pl/index.asp

September 30 Addendum

According to AVG CEO J.R. Smith in the September 29 edition of the Prague Post, there has been no decision to list shares of AVG Technologies on either the Warsaw or any other bourse.

"It's news to me," he said in response to reports by Reuters and the daily Hospodářské noviny that quoted unnamed sources. "The shareholders are always looking at options to get some liquidity. They weigh those decisions every day, but there has been no decision made by the shareholders or anyone else to list in Poland or Prague or anywhere else."

http://www.praguepost.com/business/5854-avg-boosts-product-ipo-vague.html

Public offering and high finance can have a sense of intrigue. Meanwhile, "Money Never Sleeps", the sequel to Michael Douglas's "Wall Street", opened last week in the United States and topped the box office. Gordon Gekko is back.

Internet Security 2011 – Rush To Release Part V

September 28 addendum - AVG 2011 should be available September 29.

October 8 Addendum - Link to PC Magazine AVG Internet Security 2011 Review AVG IS 2011 PC Magazine Review http://tinyurl.com/366n5mg

F-Secure has now joined the companies releasing their consumer Internet Security 2011 and Anti-virus 2011 solutions. The announcement for F-Secure Internet Security 2011 and F-Secure Anti-virus 2011 took place on September 15.

About F-Secure Internet Security 2011 and Anti-virus 2011

F-Secure promotes multi-layered protection with their F-Secure Internet Security 2011 product. They state that their Browsing Protection feature will warn you which sites are safe to enter. F-Secure utilizes multiple scanning engines for the antivirus protection.

F-Secure’s DeepGuard in the cloud protection is designed to provide instant protection again new threats. F-Secure DeepGuard 2.0 incorporates a feature called Network Lookups to enable instant protection against emerging threats. It detects when a Windows application is launched and F-Secure’s Network Look-up feature asks about the application. If “the cloud” replies that the application is good, it’s allowed.

Their products also relies on some local decision logic, so there is still protection, even when there is no working network connection.

PC Magazine’s Neil Rubenking gave F-Secure Internet Security an overall score of 3.0 out of 5. He liked the interface and the small footprint of the product. Overall, he felt that the security components were “good” and that the product had potential. He favored Kaspersky or Norton over F-Secure. However. Rudimentary found fault with the product's parental control and found that the test systems were sluggish at times.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369358,00.asp

F-Secure Anti-virus 2011 scored a slightly higher at 3.5 out of 5.0 with Rubenking complimenting the product for its cloud based and reputation based detection. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369143,00.asp

F-Secure Product Testing and Certification (2010 Releases)

F-Secure has received VB100 status for the last 4 recent tests it has submitted for. http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/archive/results?display=summary . Its Internet Security 2010 product has been certified by ICSA Labs for both cleaning and detection - https://www.icsalabs.com/products?tid_1[]=4264&x=35&y=12&=Apply . ICSA Labs' web site - www.iscalabs.com

2011 Internet Security Solutions Released

The lines below contain feature checklists for a number of each of the company's products.

• BitDefender Total Security 2011 was released around August 16. For product details - http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/total-security.
• Kaspersky - Kaspersky announced Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 on August 16 For product details -http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_services/compare/
• Panda Security – Panda Internet Security Suite 2011 was announced on July 27. For product details - http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/
• Webroot - Webroot Internet Security Complete 2011 was announced on July 26. For product details http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-compare.html
• Symantec – Symantec introduced their Norton consumer security solutions in early September. For product details: http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/charts/comparison.jsp?pcid=mp
• Trend Micro - Trend Micro introduced their Titanium product line in early September. For product details: http:// Trend us.trendmicro.com/us/products/personal/titanium-maximum-security/ and click on “product comparison”
• F-Secure - F-Secure announced their internet security product line on September 15. For product details: http://www.f-secure.com/en_US/products/home-office/internet-security/ and then click on compare products.

2011 Internet Security Solutions That Haven’t Been Released

• AVG – Should be releasing the AVG 2011 product line around the end of September.
• McAfee – No official release date has been announced for the next release of McAfee Total Protection.
• Avast – No official release date has been announced.
• Avira – No official release data has been announced.

As an aside, AVAST Software gained its 130 millionth user at 7:52:52 (Central European Time) on September 7 according to a September 14 press release. http://www.avast.com/pr-avast-software-crosses-the-130-million-user-threshold

AVG Technologies’ Initial Public Offering (IPO)

No firm date from AVG Technologies as to when they will have their initial public offering. Originally slated for the London (UK) exchange, it may now take place on the Warsaw exchange and one other, in fact. This is according to a Reuters article dated September 15, “Czech AVG's IPO to be worth 400-800 mln EUR-sources” The Initial Public Offering may now take place in the first quarter of 2011. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSWSF00947520100915

A September 12 Financial Times article where “bankers have signaled they are aiming for an autumn listing.” “UK tech sector poised for deal flurry” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/eed0f540-be9c-11df-a755-00144feab49a.html

The August 13 issue of the IFR European ECM Briefing had mentioned the IPO taking place in Q3/Q4. They had listed the estimated capitalization in the range of US $300m-400m. It appears as if Q3 will not happen. http://www.ifrbriefings.com/examples/euro_ecm.pdf

The flurry of acquisitions over the summer – Intel acquiring McAfee, and Hewlett Packard acquiring 3Par (at a substantial premium) and Arcsight, may have motivated AVG to slow down the offering.

See also: "AVG Technologies Prepares To Go Public" http://kensek.blogspot.com/2010/07/avg-technologies-prepares-to-go-public.html

Addendum to: Internet Security 2011 – Rush To Release Part IV

Two more internet security vendors have introduced their 2011 internet security solutions. Trend Micro is rebranding their consumer products with the introduction of their 2011 product line. The products are now Trend Micro Titanium AntiVirus, Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security and Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security. Symantec has also introduced their Norton 2011 product line: Norton Antivirus 2011, Norton Internet Security 2011, and their two Norton 360 version 4.0 products. AVG Technologies AVG 2011 product line? Not until the end of September, most likely.

Trend Micro Titanium

In an interview with ZDnet in 2008, Trend Micro’s Eva Chen said, “In the antivirus business, we have been lying to customers for 20 years. People thought that virus protection protected them, but we can never block all viruses…” “Trend Micro: Antivirus industry lied for 20 years “ http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/it-strategy/2008/06/30/trend-micro-antivirus-industry-lied-for-20-years-39440184/

With this release, Trend Micro is following through on their commitment to move security to the cloud.

From their web site: “ Trend Micro Titanium is powered by the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure, our cloud security infrastructure that stops threats in cyberspace or "the cloud." Smart Protection Network monitors the Internet 24/7, worldwide. It gathers and analyzes threat data, blocking viruses and other malware BEFORE they can reach your PC. And because processing is done in the cloud, Titanium uses less of your PC’s memory and disk space, so it won’t slow you down.”

PC Magazine’s Neil Rubenking gave Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2011 a score of 2 out of 5 finding it, “lightweight, attractive, and unobtrusive” but a little lacking on doing its job. http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,4796,00.asp

Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2011 scored a more impressive 3.5 out of 5. Rubenking called the online backup system “stupendous”. Maximum Security offers a number of additional features over Internet Security including Automatic warning against suspicious links in email and IM, extending protection to smart phones, and backup and sync. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368601,00.asp

Trend Micro In Play? Calling Gordon Gekko

As an aside, an undisclosed company has supposedly put an offer in for Trend Micro “Trend Micro Shares Jump” http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6880U620100909 No companies were mentioned by name. A CRN slide presentation included the recommendation that Oracle acquire Trend Micro. “Hurd's Top Five Oracle Acquisition Target Hit-List” http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/channel-programs/227300309/hurds-top-five-oracle-acquisition-target-hit-list.htm?pgno=4

Norton Internet Security 2011, Norton Antivirus 2011

Symantec’s messaging for their 2011 product line - Fast protection that does more to stop viruses and spyware. Powerful, fast protection to email, shop and bank online without worry. Ultimate protection, performance and peace of mind against digital dangers.

Norton Internet Security 2011 and Norton 360 both received 4.5 out of 5 from Rubenking. Internet Security received Editor’s Choice. Rubenking cited its new interactive security panel and found the product to be an improvement over last year’s “already excellent” protection. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368876,00.asp

Norton Antivirus 2011 also received an Editors’ Choice designation. The reviewer called Norton Antivirus 2011 a “top-notch antivirus with impressive bonuses” http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368768,00.asp

2011 Internet Security Solutions Released

The below lines contain feature checklists for a number of each of the company's products.

• BitDefender Total Security 2011 was released around August 16. For product details - http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/total-security.
• Kaspersky - Kaspersky announced Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 on August 16 For product details -http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_services/compare/
• Panda Security – Panda Internet Security Suite 2011 was announced on July 27. For product details - http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/
• Webroot - Webroot Internet Security Complete 2011 was announced on July 26. For product details http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-compare.html
• Symantec – Symantec introduced their Norton consumer security solutions in early September. For product details: http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/charts/comparison.jsp?pcid=mp
• Trend Micro - Trend Micro introduced their Titanium product line in early September. For product details: http:// Trend us.trendmicro.com/us/products/personal/titanium-maximum-security/ and click on “product comparison”

2011 Internet Security Solutions That Haven’t Been Released

• AVG – Should be releasing the AVG 2011 product line around September 29. AVG Threat Labs should be coming out of beta at the same time.
• McAfee – No official release date has been announced for the next release of McAfee Total Protection.
• Avast – No official release date has been announced.
• Avira – No official release data has been announced.

According to a comment on an executive blog on the AVG Technologies web site, the next release of AVG’s product line should be out of beta and occur around the end of September. “We expect to launch the full consumer version of AVG’s Threat Labs in late September coinciding with our launch of AVG 2011.” This product line will be known as AVG 2011.
http://jrsmith.blog.avg.com/2010/09/avg-threat-labs-an-exciting-new-threat-informational-portal.html This release may occur before AVG Technologies completes their Initial Public Offering (IPO).

AVG Technologies’ Initial Public Offering (IPO)

AVG Technologies has not announced when they will have their initial public offering on the London (UK) exchange. It may now take place on the Warsaw exchange and one other, in fact. For more information on this, go to
"AVG Technologies Prepares To Go Public" http://kensek.blogspot.com/2010/07/avg-technologies-prepares-to-go-public.html

The August 13 issue of the IFR European ECM Briefing mentions the IPO taking place in Q3/Q4. They listed the estimated capitalization in the range of US $300m-400m. http://www.ifrbriefings.com/examples/euro_ecm.pdf

Look for a flurry of consumer internet security product announcements over the next several weeks.

AVAST at 130 Million Users?

AVAST Software gained its 130 millionth user at 7:52:52 (Central European Time) on September 7 according to a September 14 press release. http://www.avast.com/pr-avast-software-crosses-the-130-million-user-threshold

Avast is now claiming that they are the world’s most popular antivirus program in three categories: the size of its registered user base, its growth in the number of users during 2010, and in the high level of referrals from users.

AVG is claiming more 110 million active users on their website http://www.avg.com/us-en/avg-company-profile. They have mentioned 130 million on their site, as well, and in the press. The two companies may be defining “active” differently.

AVAST also seems to have “Pirate English” as an option for individuals licensing their software.

AVG 2011 – Available September 29 - Rush to Release – Part III

According to a comment on an executive blog on the AVG Technologies web site, the next release of AVG’s product line should occur be around the end of September. This would be version 10.0 (AVG 2011, AVG Internet Security 10.0?). AVG’s last major release was version 9.0. This release occurred over a period of several weeks beginning in late September 2009. This release may occur before AVG Technologies completes their Initial Public Offering (IPO).

September 28 addendum - AVG 2011 should be available September 29.

According to the blog, which focused on AVG Threat Labs (currently in beta) offering, “We expect to launch the full consumer version of AVG’s Threat Labs in late September coinciding with our launch of AVG 2011.”
http://jrsmith.blog.avg.com/2010/09/avg-threat-labs-an-exciting-new-threat-informational-portal.html

There are some YouTube video reviews of AVG 2011. For those interested, the following link contains a fairly long list of under the hood improvements to AVG 2011. http://www.mostiwant.com/blog/avg-internet-security-2011-beta/

2011 Internet Security Solutions Released

• BitDefender Total Security 2011 was released around August 16. For product details - http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/total-security.
• Kaspersky - Kaspersky announced Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 on August 16 For product details -http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_services/compare/
• Panda Security – Panda Internet Security Suite 2011 was announced on July 27. For product details - http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/
• Webroot - Webroot Internet Security Complete 2011 was announced on July 26. For product details http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-compare.html

2011 Internet Security Solutions That Haven’t Been Released

• Trend Micro – should be releasing their next generation of Internet Security solutions before the middle of September.
• Symantec – No official release date has been announced for Norton Internet Security 2011.
• McAfee – No official release date has been announced for the next release of McAfee Total Protection.
• Avast – No official release date has been announced.
• Avira – No official release data has been announced.

AVG Threat Labs – Currently in Beta

According to the executive blog, “Threat Labs combines (this) data with consumer comments in a simple, easy-to-use website that explains clearly if a site that you wish to visit, or own, is safe or not and what people are saying about it."

AVG Threat Labs offers the same real time analysis as AVG’s LinkScanner®. It allows someone to enter a URL and find out whether or not that site is safe to visit. The individual can also view a brief 30 day site report on that particular website. http://www.avgthreatlabs.com/sitereports/. AVG Threat Labs should be out of beta near the end of September.

This ability to check a website without having LinkScanner installed is similar to what McAfee has been offering on their SiteAdvisor site for several years. Visitors enter a URL. They are then informed whether or not the site is safe to visit or contains some kind of dangerous malware. They can also view a report on the URL they have entered. http://www.siteadvisor.com/.

AVG Technologies’ Initial Public Offering (IPO)

There is no official date as to when AVG Technologies will have their initial public offering on the London (UK) exchange. For more information, go to "AVG Technologies Prepares To Go Public" http://kensek.blogspot.com/2010/07/avg-technologies-prepares-to-go-public.html

The August 13 issue of the IFR European ECM Briefing doesn't provide a lot additional detail about the upcoming IPO. AVG Technologies is mentioned as being in the Q3/Q4 pipeline with an estimated value of US $300m-400m. http://www.ifrbriefings.com/examples/euro_ecm.pdf This came out before Intel's offer to acquire McAfee.

The market for security companies appears to be hot. McAfee accepted an offer to be acquired by Intel for a premium of 60% over the previous day’s closing price on August 18. http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3678.

Arcsight put the company up for sale on August 26 and the stock price immediately increased around $7 per share. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67P4X720100826

In August, growth equity investor Summit Partners invested $100 million for a minority stake in Avast Software http://www.avast.com/pr-growth-equity-investor-summit-partners-invests-100-million-in-avast-software. Avast and AVG Technologies both have a total installed base of over 110 (130?) million seats. Avast typically comes in a relatively close second to AVG Technologies on the CNET download site for free antivirus software. Avir typically comes in third.

Look for Norton Internet Security 2011 to be released sometime during September.