AVG's Anti-Virus and
Internet Security line follows on the heel of last year's highly-ranked
security suite by not merely incorporating some minor but key tweaks to
both its front-end and back-end, but a stronger push toward personal
data management and privacy utilities that help prevent uninvited access
to your files. Though many threats still exist, security programs as
they stand now start to encompass areas of privacy utilities. Whereas
the majority of threats were once external viruses trying to force their
way into your machines, nowadays malware focus more on tricking users
to inadvertently open doors for hijacking
Version 2013 was AVG's
first push toward adopting and remixing the Modern UI movement. Not
just a response to competitors, the Modern UI movement represents an
overall push toward creating a more streamlined security experience. For
the average consumer, what your anti-virus and anti-malware programs do
to protect your computer have followed a set it and forget it
mentality
Balancing along the fine line of being both
approachable yet empowering is a key goal of not just AVG but also just
about any utility software developer: Modern UI has the visual appeal,
but does it evoke control and the sense of security over all the
software's power features
In our last review, we commended
AVG's decision to reduce the installation steps. It still contains a
toolbar offer, and despite the universal hatred toward being fooled into
installing yet another browser helper object, AVG's toolbar actually
does include useful security options like Do Not Track. Again it's a
tradeoff but if you really wanted DNT's features, then there's a
standalone version available for free on Firefox and Chrome in their
respective extension stores
By now, almost every major security
software maker has more or less adopted the flat, Modern UI look and AVG
has kept its own visuals mostly intact. The main screen is decorated
with AVG's primary areas of protection that include your computer,
browsing the Web, Identity protection features, e-mail protection, and
extras that populate the second row if you opt to purchase the premium
or Internet Security suites. It's the same as last year's design, but
still a radical departure from the old AVG that's appreciated, yet still
may take some getting used to for the more hands-on user. Thankfully,
all it's older scan settings are still neatly tucked under the options,
though
they aren't nearly as touch-friendly
All visual and
organizational improvements aside, AVG 2014 (along with many other
security suites we've seen) have more or less been continuing to dress a
Windows 7 application without completely assimilating into the actual
Modern UI environment, wholeheartedly. I can understand this context
under the stance that there are still many who don't face a real urgency
to upgrade to Windows 8. But if you're moving toward minimal input and
maintenance for running a security program in the background, then
perhaps Modern UI might be better suited in the long run
Once AVG adapts to your machine, scan times are reduced tremendously
For example, the options menu is still very much geared toward
the mouse user, so having a meet-halfway kind of design slightly
disrupts the overall experience of maintaining and protecting your
machine with the touch of your fingers
Data Safe is your lockbox to prevent unwanted tampering or snooping if you save files on a public machine
Two notable additions to AVG Internet Security are File
Shredder and Data Safe. File Shredder is a more permanent solution to
deleting files and reducing any potential digital trails for recovery.
By default, Windows doesn't actually delete files, even after clearing
the Recycle Bin, with the exception of overly-large file sizes. For the
average user, this might not seem like much but in the era of privacy
concerns, it's a welcome feature that will slowly start to become more
relevant to the average consumer
Even Data Safe, AVG's own
folder encryption, helps you create what is essentially a secured
pseudo-partition in a native location that can only be unlocked with a
password. It's a practical precaution for those who share their
computers with others and wish to avoid having to create separate
profiles
AV-Test results for 2014 are currently not published, but the 2013 marks for
Internet Security showed a slight drop in protection, going down from a
5.5 rating out of 6 to 5.0. Performance remained standard at 3.5 but
usability shot up significantly from 4.5 to 5.5 out of 6.
AV-Comparatives
gave 2013 a 1.1 percent compromise rate in their real-world protection
test in their July report. Overall, AVG has maintained a relatively
consistent level of security, which is above average, but the gains in
usability combined with reduced system load, makes this version one of
the most lightweight protection solutions for your PC
To call this version the best AVG yet is a no-brainer; AVG's
security efficacy, though not the best, still remains consistently high
scoring among AV evaluations across the board. And though detection
rates have improved, the biggest strides for this year's version have
been made in the areas of privacy tools that are genuinely useful. As
for whether it's the "best" security program around, that may depend on
your current needs. AVG's emphasis on privacy tools and reputation
ranking attempts to combat malware through educating and empowering
users, at least slightly, with tools that remain easy to use yet
encourage users to actively manage their PC files. We especially
recommend this year's suite for those who actively share their machine
with other users
Select the appropriate version for you - direct download links
