Trend Micro Internet Security 2012 Cloud Edition Review

Going by the ever increasing number of online security threats, having a good Internet security suite is the need of the hour. Apart from providing protection against virus threats, spam, malware, etc. it should also be robust enough to detect newer threats. One such security suite that you can count on is the Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2012 Cloud Edition. It provides a holistic protection against all the possible threats online and is also reasonably priced.    

Features

What’s additional in the 2012 Internet security suite is a system tuner, fake anti-virus cleaner and a secure erase option. Apart from this it has overhauled its antivirus & antispyware, windows firewall booster, and parental control features.

The System Tuner can be accessed from the home screen as well as from the tools option. It will help you recover disk space, clears browser history, cleans cookies and deletes temporary files, etc. to boost the PC performance. You also have the option to schedule a scan and can select what you want it to do. Also, new in the 2012 edition is the fake anti-virus cleaner that will effectively eliminate malware posing as antivirus software. An extremely handful addition is that of secure erase option. There are two types of erase options you can choose from - one is the quick erase that will overwrite the deleted file to prevent it from being recovered and the other option is that of permanent erase that overwrites deleted files seven times and is more secure.

Secure erase is a handy feature that provides an extra layer of protection and privacy

It also features a robust web threat protection with three levels of protection that you can choose from. The recommended level of security will protect against online phishing scams, warn you against unsafe web pages, block access to unsafe sites and even includes a browser guard for IE that will provide protection against malicious scripts. Additionally, it includes a data theft prevention option with the help of which you can prevent sharing of sensitive information, like credit card details, phone numbers or even email addresses, online. Here you can also create your own categories.    

The home screen sports a simple clutter-free view, which is easy to navigate

Its parental control tool is also quite comprehensive, and can be accessed directly from the home screen. It makes it simple to set limits, as it has age categories like 3-7 year olds, 8-12 years old and 13-17 years old. So you can select a particular category and it will automatically block certain topics inappropriate for their age. Alternatively you have the option to customize it. The best part is the neatly defined categories to be blocked like Adult or Sexual, Communication or Media, Controversial, and Shopping & Entertainment. Each of these is further sub-divided to include relevant topics to be blocked. However, some of the topics included are vague and selecting them may result in blocking of a site that is actually not harmful. In that case you will have to include the site URL in the trusted website list from settings. You can also set the PC and Internet usage time.         

Design and Layout

The security reports provide a detailed view of the threats detected with help of graphs

The program sports a very simple design, which makes it easy to navigate. The home screen will provide you with a status of your system security, with information of threats detected, sites blocked, etc. Clicking on tools tab will open a pop-up window with four options Parental Control, System Tuner, Data Theft Prevention and Secure Erase. From here you set settings for each of them. While for the Internet security settings like Virus & Spyware Control, Internet & email control, Exception lists and proxy settings can be accessed from the wheel symbol, which is placed on a grey tab along with scan and reports at the bottom. Also, if you don’t like the picture on the home screen, then you can change it by selecting from the ones that are built-in or you have the option to upload a picture.          

Performance

In terms of detecting threats and protection, it scored 93 percent in the Dennis Technology Labs score. However, this score is that of Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security, but since the two security suites use the same engine, these scores are applicable for Internet Security suite as well. It provides effective protection from computer viruses, worms, Trojan, malwares, rootkits, spyware and other malicious softwares.

It’s not very difficult to configure the several settings, as every step is explained and thus makes it perfect for beginners. It doesn’t allow much tweaking or customization of the settings and runs quietly in the background without constant pop-ups. It also provides you with security reports for threats detected, parental control and system tuner, which will present you with a detailed view about the kind of threats faced. 

Verdict and Price in India

Trend Micro Internet Security 2012 Cloud Edition

Priced at Rs. 999 in India, Trend Micro Internet Security 2012 Cloud Edition is a comprehensive Internet security suite that will not only safeguard against online threats, but also help tune PC performance.