If you want to buy some decent Anti Virus Software that provides a complete solution and peace of mind, one of the best solutions on the market today is Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro.  Read more AND get an exclusive discount on purchases from Amazon.

Background

As someone who's always taken an active interest in Internet Security since I first bought a PC back in 1994, I know just how important a good, professional Anti-Virus solution is.

And as a Beta tester (that means I get to test the software before it's officially released), I've been using products by Trend Micro since 1998.  Initially I found them because the software was being offered by my bank - but I've stuck with them ever since as I found the products extremely powerful, but at the same time offering complete peace of mind and 100% robust protection.

On November 5th, 2007, Trend Micro released their latest version of their "Internet Security" offering aimed at home PC users like you and I.  I've taken some time to put a little review together, and also as a "thank you" to you for reading this review, I've added a link in from Amazon where they've currently got it on offer at 16% off the normal retail price.

The Software

If you're not familiar with Trend Micro's Internet Security, they offer a great package comprising:

• Robust anti-virus software with 3-hourly updates
• Configurable Software firewall, to protect your machine from intruders
• Anti-spam filters built into the program that work extremely well with Microsoft Outlook and other programs
• Spyware prevention
• Regular "vulnerability" checks - analysing your machine to see if you need any Critical Updates from Microsoft
• Wireless Network Intrusion - this one is really useful if you have a Wireless Network, you can actually prevent unauthorised machines from connecting to your network.
• Mobile Device protection - if you have a Windows Mobile phone, it can be installed on here too!
  

All of this is wrapped up in an easy-to-use system that runs quite happily in your taskbar unless there's a problem.

However, the Pro version (which I recommend) doesn't stop there.  The Pro version actually offers, in addition to the above:

• Protection against rootkits and Proactive intrusion blocking
• Two-way firewall and Home network protection
• Website authentication
• Customisable parental controls automatically block access to certain sites
• Keep browsing history - so you can see what sites have been visited
• Data theft prevention
• Protection against ID theft
• Wireless hotspot verification
• PC performance tuning
• PLUS, TISPro will actively BLOCK keyloggers by encrypting your keystrokes on any site that you visit (IE only currently unfortunately)

But is it better than Norton, you might ask?  Absolutely, 100% yes.  As a computer professional, with over 15 years experience in IT, I know what works and what doesn't.  I recently visited a client to remove their Norton as it had come to the end of the license, and replaced it with a free trial of TISPro - and TIS, once installed, actually found 17 viruses that Norton hadn't picked up!

Another issue well known with Nortons' Internet Security software is it can really cause lag and slow your machine down.  Trend Micro causes NO speed issues, and you'll barely notice that it's running.  Which is especially handy if you have an older machine, or are running Windows Vista. 

What do you get?

Whether you buy the software (either from online - www.trendmicro.co.uk) or the retail (boxed) version from an online retailer (such as Amazon), the software comes with a 3-computer license, which is valid for 1 year.  So, like is becoming more and more common, you have more than 1 pc in your home, you can rest assured that up to 3 machines will be safe and secure on the Internet.

The technical support offered - whether it's telephone support, or through their Live Chat system on their website, is absolutely faultless and what's more, they know what they are doing!

Plus, once you've bought the license and registered it, once the 12 months is up you get an email through reminding you to renew - and usually they have special offers in there too so you can renew / upgrade at a reduced price. 

  All in all, I can find nothing wrong with Trend Micro's latest offering.  It's easy to use, powerlight yet lightweight, and you can be 100% certain that if you have this on your machine, you'll be safe from all the existing - and new - dangers out there that threaten to damage your computer, or try to steal your identity.

Thanks for listening.  If you want to evaluate the software, Trend Micro offer a free 30-day trial from their website.