BitDefender Total Security 2012 15.0.034 Editor's review

Overview

The BitDefender Total Security suite is an amazing all-in-one security suite that incorporates the latest cloud security technology and very useful features that will not place too much strain on your computer. Since it includes almost all of the features and options a person will need to protect the data on his computer, you will no longer need to bother with investing and installing a handful of software designed to deal with the most common offline and online security issues.

As opposed to the basic antivirus protection suite you should expect from a security suite, you will glad to learn that the BitDefender Total Security also incorporates a smart and flexible two-ways firewall and a handful of PC tools that enable you to organize the data on the computer. In addition, it contains a backup tool that allows you to keep your files and folders on any online or offline storage device and a parental control option with which you can ensure other users will not access inappropriate content. Unlike other security suites, this software utility features a gamer mode, so that users will not be forced to turn off their firewalls and lower the protection on the computer while playing online games.

Installation

It’s basically a breeze to install the BitDefender Total Security on your computer. Once the installation process is completed, you will receive a summary of the fast scanning and you will need to reboot the computer to finish. It is important to note that this security suite will validate your current system and will not install it unless your machine meets the minimum software and hardware requirements. Therefore, if you do not have at least 1.8 GB of space, 1 GB RAM and an 800MHz processor, the installation process will be aborted.

Interface

One of the interesting features of the BitDefender Total Security suite is that the interface includes three display views for basic, intermediate and advanced options. While you can select the display during the installation process along with other dashboard choices, you will be able to make further modifications once the software is fully installed on the computer. It is important to note that this is a far better alternative to the system profile features of the older version, where users needed to choose between gamer, expert or parent.

The interface of the software is very elegant and appealing, as the layout is an amazing result of carefully thought usability and efficiency capabilities for all types of users. The main commands and menus of the software are organized in tabs, while the detailed and easy accessible navigation commands are displayed on a dashboard. Moreover, if you choose the advanced view display, you will be able to further customize the utility in terms of scale of scope as well.

Pros

What most users appreciate about the BitDefender Total Security (and this view is certainly seconded by me) is the pre-install scanning that simplifies the installation process by a great deal. In addition, considering all of the features it integrates, users have been really happy with the relative low amount of resources it uses on your computer. A further plus to this security suite utility is the smart dashboard. This feature will keep track of the most commonly used commands and it will place them on top, for faster and easier access.

Cons

The problem with the BitDefender is that, even though it has a two-way firewall, the way it handles threats is somewhat outdated, as the firewall bypasses all the security decision to the user.

Alternatives

Two similar security suites comparable to the capabilities of the BitDefender Total Security are and Webroot Internet Security Complete. Both utilities are also in the same price range as BitDefender and their reputations are well-matched in this niche.

Conclusion

Overall, the BitDefender Total Security seems like a good investment if you think of it from the performance, resource consumption and price ratio points of view. If you do not have a problem with deciding what to do with the threats detected by the firewall, then you will be completely happy with this security suite.

Requirements: Win XP, Vista, Win7, 1.8 GB free space on HD,CPU:800MHz processor,RAM:1GB(XP), 1.5GB(Vista and Win7)

What's new in this version: Safebox, Scan Dispatcher, Rescue Mode, Virtualized Browser, Autopilot