Today we are going to pay attention to one of the newest antivirus software updates in 2012 – Bitdefender Total Security 2012.
Update January 2012: Bitdefender Total Security 2012 is getting stronger and stronger with its new updates.
From what we know – many people who have purchased the 2012 version of Bitdefender have refunded and switched back to 2011 version. But that was in 2011. Let us explain the advantages and disadvantages of “Bitdefender Antivirus Total Security 2012″.
“Reboot Required” – In the new version, the program requires to restart your PC more oftenly. On startup, the program is getting an update for the recent events and security issues, which is great, but the bad thing is that a reboot is required for the updates to take place. Although many people complain of this, we think that this is the strength of this type of software – reboot is really important when it comes to security. So, imagine that in a week you get more than 90 notifications for a “reboot required”. That is one of the biggest disadvantages of Bitdefender Antivirus Total Security 2012 compared to the old version – Total Security 2011.
“No Scheduled Scanning” and the “Auto-pilot” feature - The other disadvantage of Bitdefender Total Security 2012 compared to 2011 version is that the feature for scheduled scanning has been removed. There is a new feature called “Auto pilot”, which takes care of everything.
The Autopilot provides a seamless experience by making optimal security-related decisions without input from you. This means no alerts and pop-ups and less things to configure.
It is not that good as it sounds. The problem is that the program tracks your last full system scan and immediately after a week it asks you for another, again full system scan. When you haven’t done a full system scan for over 2 weeks, the program calls it “critical”. You can solve the problem by turning off the “Auto Pilot” feature.
We can definitely say that these disadvantages are something that can be avoided.
New features in Bitdefender Total Security 2012
“Rescue mode” – The program affects your reboot, while putting your computer in a trusted area, which is used for cleanup and restoration.
“Virtualized Browser” – The new key feature of Bitdefender Total Security 2012 is to isolate the browser that you are using from the operating system, so that any thread can will be blocked in time.
“Search Advisor” – This feature is supposed to give you information about risky website that might contain any malicious software. There are a lot of plug-ins for every browser, doing the same thing.
“Scan Dispatcher” – The “Scan Dispatcher” was added to improve the user experiense. It tracks your system resources and performs scan only when you have enough resources. Basically, with this feature, the program won’t perform any scan if you are currently working.
“Safebox” – Unique feature among the antivirus programs. It automatically backups files and whole folders on a secure remote server. There is a file sync between the uploaded data and the data on your computer, which is great. Don’t worry about your files being hacked. They are encrypted using the industry-standard AES algorithms.
Ofcourse there is a new user interface.
Price
It is not that cheap compared to the other antivirus software programs. The price is 69$ for a single PC and 79$ for up to 3 pcs.
You can now buy the antivirus software from Amazon for 63$ and you will get 3 years of protection for up to 3 pcs.
What do we recommend?
If you are not familiar how to use this kind of software or you don’t have at least some IT knowledge, better choose another product for the job. Bitdefender is a lil bit fickle when it comes to easy setup, but on the other hand, if you know how to use it it may be the best pack against malicious software.
Compared to other antivirus programs
According to many sources – Top Ten Reviews, AV Test’s Malware Protection Test, Choice Magazine, ConsumerSearch.com and Which? Magazine (UK). - Bitdefender Total Security 2011 is ranked very well on the first position (#1).
It is difficult to say, since it is still 2011 and many companies are now preparing their “weapons” against viruses. However Bitdefender Total Security 2012 will remain one of the best antivirus programs on the market. As you may know, the Bitdefender software have won many awards in the past, and we are sure that they will keep the good work.
