Panda Cloud Antivirus Releases Pro Version, but Free Version Does the Job

Today, Panda Security announced that it has significantly upgraded and extended its Panda Cloud Antivirus product line to offer both a free, and a Pro version to users.

According to Panda “With nearly 10 million downloads since the beta launch one year ago, Panda Cloud Antivirus is the fastest growing free antivirus today”.

I’ve been running Panda Cloud Antivirus, on a secondary system, since April 2009 (the Beta launch), and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with it’s performance, particularly the light use of system resources.

After all, who needs a resource hog interfering with one’s computer experience?  Happily, Panda Cloud Antivirus  consumes only 15 MB of RAM, or so, when idle, and only 60MB, or so, while  scanning.

Testing anti-malware applications takes considerable time in order to get to the heart of the matter – does an application work in the “real world?”

Will the application do what an average user expects – does it block malware effectively and efficiently? Particularly new, or emerging, malware threats.

Is the interface crafted in such a way that an average user doesn’t need to digest an instruction manual in order to navigate the application?

Is the application capable of providing adequate protection without stressing system resources?

In the long term test on my secondary system, I found Panda Cloud Antivirus met, or exceeded, all of these requirements, and I have no hesitation in recommending it as a front line antivirus application.

Should you consider installing and running Panda’s Cloud Antivirus? Well, let me offer you this, from previous correspondence with Panda’s CEO Juan Santana “The threat climate demands a new protection model”.

Given the unstable security state of the Internet, I can certainly agree, and it comes not a moment too soon, in my view.

Quick highlights:

FREE, antivirus thin-client service for consumers which is able to process and block malware more efficiently than locally installed signature-based products.

The immediate benefits to users thanks to Panda’s new protection model are: 100x faster protection against new malware and 50 percent less impact on PC performance, compared to the industry average.

Utilizing its proprietary in-the-cloud scanning technology called Collective Intelligence, to automatically identify and classify new malware strains in near real-time (less than six minutes.

This same process takes up to 48 days with traditional AV products, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan.

New functionality in Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition includes:

New and improved interface makes Cloud Antivirus even easier to use.

Improved performance with cache optimization and memory management lowers CPU utilization and memory consumption.

Advanced configuration and exclusions allow users to customize certain features, such as behavioral blocking and analysis, to suit their individual needs and system requirements.

Behavioral blocker provides instantaneous protection against new malware and targeted attacks.

Self-protection of antivirus files and configurations ensures protection can’t be disabled by targeted malware attacks.

Collective Intelligence Monitor give users access to a list of malware from the community that is updated in real-time.

Ability to restore any neutralized file.

Improved detection & protection against rootkits.

Free Technical Support forums.

Choosing the Cloud Antivirus Pro Edition gets you these additional features:

Automatic, transparent upgrades provide completely “hands-free” protection by eliminating the need for reinstalling the antivirus each time a new version is released.

Automatic vaccination of USB and hard drives ensures neither drive type can transmit an infection while users are offline.

Dynamic behavioral analysis provides an added layer of protection by analyzing running processes and blocking any found to be malicious.

24/7 multilingual technical support online.

System requirements: Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows XP 32-bit,  Windows XP 64-bit.

Download at: Cloud Antivirus

Rick Robinette over at What’s On My PC, has also completed a substantial test run on Cloud Antivirus, so be sure to read his report – Panda Cloud Antivirus – Is It Netbook ready?

My friend Steve Mallard, at the The Tennessee Technology Center at Shelbyville, has posted on  “Panda Cloud Antivirus Free”, which provides additional information including their installation experience, screenshots, and findings.

About Panda Security

Founded in 1990, Panda Security is the world’s leading provider of cloud-based security solutions with products available in more than 23 languages and millions of users located in 195 countries around the world.

Panda Security has 56 offices throughout the globe with US headquarters in Florida and European headquarters in Spain. For more information, visit the Panda site.

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