Moving Beyond PC-cillin: Trend Micro Internet Security 2007 Plus TrendSecure More Than Just a Name Change? Wayne N Kawamoto
For spam, viruses, and spyware — and basically anything and everything that can create havoc on your PC — Trend Micro offers its Internet Security 2007 Plus TrendSecure suite and standalone products, Trend Micro AntiSpyware and Trend Micro Anti-Spam. If you're not familiar with the Trend Micro name, you've probably heard of "PC-cillin." This year, Trend Micro has changed the name and added powerful new features.
The suite offers all-in-one protection against viruses, spam, and spyware, while the standalone products deliver precise protection as indicated by their names. The suite also comes with an innovative new set of online tools, called "TrendSecure," that protect online transactions, safeguard private files in the event a laptop is lost or stolen, and secure cell phones against viruses.
At $49.95 for a yearly subscription, the suite is available for a reasonable price. And, taking a page from Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare subscription policy, the Trend Micro subscription covers up to three PCs on a wireless (or wired) home network.
More Than Just a Name Change?
Trend Micro is a venerable player in the utilities arena, with its PC-cillin product commanding a long-standing position as one of the most popular antivirus tools on the market. The 2007 suite incorporates its predecessor's PC-cillin engine and comes with new features to root out rootkits, as well as spyware, phishing schemes, spam, hackers, viruses, WiFi attacks, and smartphone threats. In execution, the suite covers all of the security bases.
The interface is intuitive and easy to use. It serves a series of vertical tabs that provide access to the program's main functions: anti-virus, firewall, etc. Click a well-marked tab and the screen displays status and options for that feature.
For those familiar with the prior PC-cillin program, the interface has changed little. The main difference is a button on the upper, right-hand side of the screen that offers access to the TrendSecure online services.
Trend Micro AntiSpyware and Trend Micro Anti-Spam, on the other hand, are separate, standalone products that are designed for those who want to round out their Internet protection. For example, instead of purchasing an entire security suite, users who already own an anti-virus program can purchase Anti-Spyware or Anti-Spam to increase their PC security.
In last year's programs, the standalone versions of Anti-Spyware and Anti-Spam offered superior protection over the same features found in the suite, mostly due to several engine enhancements. This year, however, the security engines are identical, as are the features. As a result, there is no longer a difference between the anti-spyware and anti-spam protection offered in the suite and through the standalone programs.
