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I learnt to cross the street at the age of seven on a two lane street which today, has become a four lane road. The Internet, like the street across my home, has grown over the years.
Like any whizzing highway there are users of all forms on it - from the slow-moving retiree, to the eager newbie and the scary guy who is a risk to other users. Because there are 'all sorts' out there, you look both ways before you cross the street and take extra care as you get to the other side. So why is it, when people get onto the super highway that's the Internet, they don't make sure it's safe before they and their children step out?
If your security software is in need of updating or renewal, it's really not a good idea to just ignore it. Like other online security firms F-Secure has rolled out its 2008 security package. Key to F-Secure is its proactive DeepGuard technology which anticipates and protects the user's computer against unidentified threats so attacks and malware can be avoided.
In the 2008 bundle, which is Vista compatible, users can find the usual armour, such as virus and spyware protection, firewall, anti-spam and automatic updates.
Installing the software is not too difficult. When doing this however, it would be a good idea to first disconnect Internet access. To avoid conflicts with existing security software on your computer, F-Secure will ask to uninstall the other programme before loading itself on your PC, which can leave users feeling just a little too vulnerable for a while.
Protection is offered to both homes and small business, so it's important to choose the options and profiles carefully. Having identified that the software was for a home PC used by children and teens, it was annoying to find locks in place even for the adult administrator. So while the system was efficient in reminding kids that they are not allowed to use the Internet at 9pm, it was annoying to have to go through the process of unlocking the system to get onto the web.
Apart from a time lock, child-proofing the system includes the blocking of chat content as well as Internt sites and content, which in the 2008 version includes four new categories including Dating and Violence, which are areas parents tend to overlook.
The promise of F-Secure was to allow users to "install and forget" and it lived up to that promise. However, it would've been nice to be reminded as to what users were being protected against. Perhaps it was out of habit, but I missed being told whether the site I was visiting was safe or a phishing site.
What was useful was the mobile security trial offered to subscribers. Not many people consider protecting their mobile devices from being attacked by viruses and including that option will make you stop and think of one useful, everyday device that you depend on that is not protected. If you're one who stores details and passwords on your mobile, it would be a good idea to look at F-secure and its mobile security software.
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