BullGuard Internet Security 8.0

The internet simply isn’t a safe place. There’s plenty of software available for protecting your computer for free, if you’re happy to go it alone. However, if you don’t want the fuss of working it out for yourself or want the security of 24-hour technical support, we’d recommend a security suite that covers the majority of your safety requirements in one simple installation.

Features:
BullGuard Internet Security protects your PC from the standard internet threats with anti-virus, anti-spyware, a firewall and a spam filter, with the added bonus of 5GB worth of online back-up space. The price includes protection for three PCs, if you’ve got that many on your home network, though there are no specific network-protection tools. It’s also lacking some of the extra features that some other suites include, like parental control, making this something of a light suite – ideal for those who don’t need or want any superfluous security clutter.

Performance:
BullGuard doesn’t use its own virus and spyware definitions, but uses Bit Defender’s (www.bitdefender.com) instead. This makes a lot of sense – BitDefender hasn’t failed a Virus Bulletin (www.virusbtn.com) test since 2004 and holds its own at AV Comparatives (www.av-comparitives.org). The firewall did a reasonable job in our tests, locking down the computer from hackers who might try and exploit the usual openings. The online back-up uses 128-bit encryption so is perfectly secure, and you can access your archive from the web if you wish. 5GB of space should be enough to safeguard a good selection of your most important files.

Ease of Use:
The product is very straightforward to use. An icon bar runs down the left-hand side of the screen with the top-most offering a link to an overview. You can then access details of each of the main elements and, from here, drill down into the finer settings if you want to. Complicated elements, like the firewall, have two modes – Beginner and Advanced. Selecting the Advanced option gives access to more tabs, which aren’t visible in Beginner mode. This is a handy way of keeping unnecessary controls out of reach of those who don’t need to be fiddling with them.

Value for money:
At less than £50 the product is reasonably priced for the protection you get, falling in line with its bigger-name rivals. However, for the price you’re only getting the basic level of protection – if you’re looking for a suite to cover off all your needs it might be worth looking to spend a bit more and opt for McAfee or Norton, both of which we’ve reviewed in recent issues. These offer extra features like parental controls and network security, if you need them.