Eset Smart Security 4: More than Adequate Protection and Ease of Use
Computing in today’s highly connected world demands that any user should protect themselves adequately from malicious threats that are out there in the wilds of the internet. In 2009 alone, more threats emanating from the internet were created by hackers compared to the combined output of the past 20 years. A class of software, popularly called security suites, offers a wide range of protection to computers and to their users. Aside from protecting the computer from unauthorized execution and changes to software, security suites, perhaps more importantly, protect user data from the prying eyes of outsiders.
Eset’s Smart Security 4 is one of the more prominent brands of computer security suites that can be purchased online. Reviews for the software vary from reports of average performance to highly enthusiastic endorsement. For example, one computer magazine was generous enough to say that Eset Smart Security 4 proffers descent, if not basic performance but in a pricey package.
Most threats that have already been detected by security software will be assigned a signature. Eset Smart Security 4 excels in detecting threats that have been detected already. The reviewer was concerned about the security suite’s lack of advanced features that enable it to detect newer threats that have no signature assigned to it. The review further states that since detection rate of new threats are low, Eset Smart Security will have a hard time in disabling and removing such threats. Dynamic detection of new threats and malware is one aspect in protection where Eset has to improve before it can perform solidly along with other big names in computer security.
A form of threat that has been gaining notice amongst experts and ordinary users lately is the rootkit. Rootkits are insidious because they enable administrative access to all parts of the computer. No software and data are safe when it comes to rootkit. A hacker that is able to infect a computer with rootkits have free rein on the computer and what is worse is that the owner will never have any idea that his computer has already been compromised. What is great about Eset Smart Security 4 is that it has a high detection rate of most rootkits stopping the malware before it is able to wreak damage.
Another important consideration for security suites concerns its effect on overall computer performance when it does its work. Most users of Eset Smart Security 4 praised the software’s small footprint. Because it demands little from the host operating system, other software are able to do their job satisfactorily. Other details that users love are fast scanning times, unobtrusiveness, and ease of installation. Eset Smart Security 4 was able to post some of the fastest scanning times after booting the computer. This is an important metric because it enables users to use the computer without being bothered by choppy disk reads that results from file scanning.
While protection is the most important feature of any security suite, ease of use is also important. Eset Smart Security 4 earns points for the out-of-the-box defaults that come with the software that enables most average users to get adequate protection from online threats. Behind the simple looking interface however are plenty of options that enable advanced users to tweak the software. With basic defaults, Eset scores high in the security suite’s ability to remove threats and infections from the PC. While most users will have Smart Security running out of the box, free support that comes in the form of telephone, e-mail or chat makes the software a compelling buy despite some reviews that claim less than stellar performance. Other security suites in the market do not have free technical support that involves one on one interaction with a support staff.
Overall, Eset Smart Security Suite is a good buy for most users on the lookout for computer security especially when the computer is connected most of the time to the internet.
