Security for Everyone

Kaspersky has long been a favorite of security experts and tech enthusiasts worldwide. Kaspersky began to pursue online threats in 1997 and earlier this year celebrated their thirteenth anniversary. They consistently rank among the best in detection and removal, although they have occasionally been criticized for an overly complex interface. With this latest installment in the Security for Everyone series, we will look at the newly released Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 product and choose for ourselves if form and function are more together than apart.

McAfee is among the real heavyweights in desktop security. The McAfee roots date back to 1989 with a history that has included several key acquisitions. Today McAfee remains a well known and respected source of desktop security software. With this wealth of history and experience, has the security giant managed to maintain a suite of security applications for the every day user or have they found themselves in a territory only the geek is comfortable traversing?

Roughly one month prior to the release of Windows 7, Microsoft debuted its consumer antivirus and antispyware solution, Microsoft Security Essentials. This solution does not include a firewall which is understandable since Windows 7 does include one. Microsoft has a sketchy past with previous firewall incarnations that either left systems open for attack or did not provide the customization options that existed in commercial solutions. In this review I will take a closer look at the capabilities of Microsoft Security Essentials and the Windows 7 firewall. I will try to determine if the software giant has managed to stroll into the desktop security space as a solid contender.