Panda Internet Security 2010

Panda Security recently introduced their 2010 line of security software, kicking off the 2010 product push that other vendors will be sure to follow throughout the summer and into the fall. Since The Tech Herald has previously reviewed Panda Internet Security 2009, we took a copy of 2010 and gave it a spin in the lab.

One of the first things we noticed is that Panda Internet Security 2010 (PIS 2010) looks and feels the same as the 2009 version. The menu placement, the color scheme, the layout of the options, and the detailed information are all exactly where they were one year ago. While that might seem like a bad thing, in reality it is a positive spin. Anyone who upgrades will forgo the need to learn new menus or features. They can just install it and go.

Overall, Panda Internet Security was faster when it came to usage and resources, and stronger detection-wise, in 2010 than it was in 2009. Most of the improvements come from Collective Intelligence, Panda cloud services that bolster detection performance, and tweaking in memory usage. When performing URL and Malware tests, as well as the scan tests, the engine reminded us of Panda Cloud Antivirus. At the same time, that does not mean that some minor annoyances didn catch our attention.

Installing Panda Internet Security 2010:

Installation, which was wizard based, ran quickly, and as was the case for the 2009 version, finished in just under six minutes. When you start the process, you have the option to select how the software is installed. For our testing, we went with the Typical Install, simply because for the most part this is what all of Panda consumers would select. After that, PIS 2010 will launch a quick scan of system, memory, and some of the C: drive. The scan was over almost as soon as it started, which is a good thing.

Last year, in PIS 2009, this pre-installation scan dominated the install process. This year, it was the opposite; it was the component installation that used most of the time. In either case, the installation still finished fast with little user interaction. Aside from the selection of the install method, the only real choice a user has to make is whether to allow Panda to collect anonymous information on detections and malicious file samples.

It interesting to note that the activation is wizard based. In addition, activation and registration will take place only after the system reboots once installation is complete. However, the process is easy. Once all of that is finished, you are ready to launch the program for the fist time.