Bake-Off: Security Rivals Face Off

Bottom Line
While any one of the products examined here will help to secure a desktop system, Panda Internet Security 2008 edges out the others on several fronts. Its TruPrevent technology for stopping zero-day attacks is a standout feature, as are its included remote backup capability and the inclusion of three licenses. On performance, Panda scanned the most amount of objects in the least amount of time and showed only a negligible impact on the performance of the test system. Panda's product also impressed engineers with its ease of installation, as it proved to be the most straightforward and threw up the least amount of hurdles. In terms of its channel strategy, Panda has clearly put a renewed effort into partner recruitment following its transition from a public company to a private entity. It also offers portal access, online participation in renewals and extensive marketing collateral. All of those elements help Panda score extra points for channel support.

An honorable mention goes out to Kaspersky, whose Anti-virus for Windows Workstations product provides a path to a centralized, network-managed product offering that can help system builders bring a unified security offering into customers' networks by just bundling the product with new PCs. Kaspersky bested its peers on ease of use, enabling users to drill down into complex features without getting lost. And while Kaspersky wasn't as speedy on object scanning as Panda, it did have the least amount of performance impact on the system it was protecting, according to engineers' PassMark tests. Grisoft offers a solid package, but it just wasn't as strong as either of its peers. For solution providers seeking extra features, fast performance, simple installation and a strong channel effort, Panda offers the security suite of choice.

Shopping The Ingredients

VENDOR: Grisoft Milburn, N.J. (973) 218-0688 www.grisoft.com • PRODUCT: AVG Internet Security • LIST PRICE: $52.95 (One year of updates). • UPGRADE PATH: AVG Internet Security SBS Edition • MARGINS: 20% to 40% • DISTRIBUTORS: Walling Data Systems

VENDOR: Kaspersky Lab Woburn, Mass. (866) 328-5700 www.kaspersky.com • PRODUCT: Anti-Virus 6.0 For Windows Workstations • LIST PRICE: $79.95 (One year of updates) • UPGRADE PATH: Kaspersky Open Space Security • MARGINS: 10% to 30% • DISTRIBUTORS: None.

VENDOR: Panda Security Glendale, Calif. (818) 543-6901 www.pandasecurity.com • PRODUCT: Internet Security 2008 • LIST PRICE: $69.95 (One year of updates) • UPGRADE PATH: Panda BusinessSecure • MARGINS: 20% or more • DISTRIBUTORS: Academic Distributing, GlobalPC Direct, IT-Sentry.com, Lifeboat, PC Micro, Tech Data, Vertex Distributing