ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall 2012 Review

July 16, 2011 - PRLog -- After using ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall 2012 for more than one month, I have gathered enough information to write a review about it. Why do I choose to write about ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall 2012? I personally think that ZoneAlarm has the best and strongest firewall software designed for personal users, thus I have been a big fan of it since the early of 21st century.

Interface

The new interface looks simpler than ever. ZoneAlarm's main window is divided into three large panels: Computer, Internet, and Identity & Data. It summaries your pc's security status, where the "Protected" word in green is shown to indicate your computer is safe, whereas the "At Risk" word in red indicates there is a problem in your computer. Besides, there is a back and home button located beside the tabs (refer to the tabs images below) which allows you to navigate across tabs and settings easily.

At the top right menu, you can easily launch scan or update by clicking on it, and you can switch to Game Mode or configure your settings under "Tools". However, I have experienced some lag when I browse through the panels and tabs, which is expected to be improved on its coming update.

In overall, the new design of the ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall 2012's interface which emphasizes on simplicity makes ZoneAlarmmuch more friendlier than its previous version, especially to normal and computer illiterate users.

Features

Computer Tab

The two main functions are available under computer tab: firewall & anti-virus. In the "Advanced Firewall" settings, you can easily set your Public Zone security and Trusted Zone security to "off", "medium" or "high". Advanced settings are also available for geeks and experts who want to tweak the firewall settings or add expert rules.

Under "Anti-virus & Anti-spyware", there are three types of scans: quick, normal and deep. Quick scan is scheduled to run weekly, whereas normal scan runs monthly and deep scan runs yearly. A typical quick scan takes 15-16 minutes.

Internet Tab

In ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall 2012, only "Web Security" feature is available, which blocks suspicious websites and downloads. You can only choose to turn it on or off.

Identity & Data Tab

Identity Protection detects any suspicious credit activity to protect your identity information. It will alerts you when your identity information is about to sent from your PC to unauthorized destinations. I have not activated the online backup from ZoneAlarm, where you get 2 GB of online backup storage, secured with user-defined encryption keys. Anyway, it's a great feature for those who want to access and backup their files via different locations safely.

Conclusion

ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall 2012 has combined the functions of both anti-virus and firewall software, with antivirus and anti-spyware protection, advanced firewall, advanced download protection, phishing protection, backup, and credit monitoring. It is simple and easy to navigate, which suits all level of users. Unlike some other firewall software, I barely see any pop-up notification after the usage of 1 month. I would say ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall 2012 suits the small/mid budget user who are looking for both anti-virus & firewall protection, which only costs you $29.95. If you are currently using an anti-virus software from other company, you can consider to get the ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall to protect your computer from unauthorized intrusion.

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