Saturday, March 23, 2013

Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 First Impressions

In addition to the giveaway, I announced that I will also be reviewing Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 as well. As soon as I finished writing the giveaway post, I downloaded the installer for Bitdefender IS 2013 and started installing. After installation and a few tours of the settings and other functions I have formed a good first impression of the security suite.
Download
Downloading the BD IS 2013 installer slightly confusing. When you visit the Internet Security webpage, there is no clear direct download link. I put in my email address, and was instantly given a download link. The other route was to actually buy the software. I received a review license key from Bitdefender, downloaded via email.

The email you receive will contain the direct download link, and the webpage will also display it after you insert your email. The installer size is actually small, because the installer actually downloads the security suite, which is naturally larger in size.

Installing
Installing Bitdefender for me was a moderately-long process. The installer must download the security suite, install it, and also run a virus scan on the PC. That is one thing I do like about the installation process -- it immediately starts scanning for threats to remove as soon as the security suite is done installing.

During installation, there is also a slideshow of Bitdefender features and tips to make using the security suite easier. As you can see in the above picture, it shows how you can drag and drop files for scanning.

 The security widget (left) can be seen as a shortcut and monitor system. The left part of the widget shows network/firewall activity, the right shows scanner activity, the top shows events and notifications, and finally the bottom takes you to my Bitdefender.

The "filling" for the firewall and scanner activity is blue. It rises from the bottom to the top.

In the middle, you see a status of security on my PC. Bitdefender is reporting all good for me, which is of course great.

In the interface, I have also discovered something called AutoPilot Mode, which makes all of the security related decisions regarding your PC for you, without having to change setting yourself (though you can if you want to). So far I find the feature really impressive in what settings to choose.

I'm going to end this article right here. I don't want to spoil too much, as I want to everything else for the full review. Stay tuned!