It's been quite some time since I reviewed the Panda line of antivirus software. The latest product is the 2010 version, so I decided to take a look.

Antivirus software gets hard time from users. Because of it's nature it needs to constantly run in the background (yes - consuming resources) and when it fails, a machine typically gets a nasty infection that creates a very unhappy customer. But within the category there are some significant differences as to how the individual companies approach their product.

Panda has consistently received more positive feedback than category heavyweights Norton (from Symantec) and McAfee. It's a leaner product that doesn't drain as much CPU use as the big boys. To achieve this the suite doesn't contain some of the peripheral features found in other products (such as password databases) but I see this as a positive thing as most added extras are unnecessary. Panda acknowledge that CPU performance is a primary concern of users and have included CPU Load Management settings to ensure that the program doesn't steal valuable resources while you work.

The product has the same look and feel as the 2009 edition. The biggest area of improvement is the implementation of improved virus-scanning heuristics that they call The Cloud. Basically, elements of the virus detection engine have been moved to the web, which simplifies the desktop program and allows the aggregated experiences of all Panda users to drive the virus detection process.

Panda Antivirus is less jumpy than either Norton or McAfee. False warnings have been significantly reduced in the 2010 product (presumably in part due to The Cloud intelligence. There is less user interaction involved when using Panda which is a good thing, since antivirus programs are best installed and forgotten!

Panda have worked hard in the last few years to raise their profile and be seen as a serious security vendor, and the work is paying off. I highly rate the software, and suspect that they only score lower in our user generated league table because the other player have such huge user bases. If you are looking to take a side step from Norton or McAfee, then you should try Panda Antivirus 2010

I love Pandas, but the only way the world will wake up to the threat that mankind is placing on endangered species will be for the panda to become extinct. Sad but true I fear.

Anyway another Panda I've always admired from afar is the security software company. While I've never owned a piece of Panda software I've read good things about them, and have always felt they are up there with the likes of McAfee and Symantec as far as reputation goes.

So the new range of 2007 products is out, with updates to the Antivirus, Firewall and Encryption packages. There are several flavours to the product, depending on what kind of protection you need, all offering great value.

Panda Internet Security 2007

Panda Antivirus + Firewall 2007

Panda Antivirus 2007

One common criticism of the consumer Antivirus product is that while the program is very light, in doesn't offer the same level of protection as some of the more expensive products. However, my experience of antivirus products is that often a lighter product is more that capable of defending a desktop computer and is less likely to cripple your processor (see http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/index.php?p=327).

I'm going to give Panda a try when my current product expires - you should too!