Panda Cloud Antivirus Beta – Free
Panda Cloud Antivirus is a free security program and the vendors are hoping that it will change the way that users remove malware from their computers. Currently this is in Beta, but having used it for the past week it is a fairly powerful and light application to use.
If you are NOT happy using Beta programs then do not install this, wait until it comes out of Beta.
It operates 'in the cloud' so firstly I should explain what this means. It's a trendy name for the technical reference to servers and networks so by using 'cloud' techniques there is less to install on your PC as the main definitions are held on the servers that Panda Cloud Antivirus connects to.
So the vast computing resources will reside elsewhere on data servers rather than on your computer and you simply connect to the internet and your protection is on and you will not even notice the difference.
Smaller download, less resources being consumed, no updates to download and install compared to traditional antivirus products which have larger downloads and require regular updates of their definition files.
Installation is simple, go to the download page, enter your email so that you will be informed when it is out of beta, download the installer package and uninstall your current antivirus, which may require a reboot to finish the removal process.
Then double click the 'CloudAntivirus' to install.
It's a very quick installation and in your System Tray there will be a small Panda Icon, simply right click and click on Panda Cloud Antivirus to open the main user interface, which is small and compact.
Once installed, the program carries out a background scan of your computer, scanning for the good, the bad and the unknown and will automatically remove known malware and viruses using signatures that are stored in its massive database and not on users computers.
Malware evolves and changes very quickly, and by using 'collective intelligence' from the global community Panda say that new samples submitted are usually analyzed, classified and added to the system within 6 minutes.
This could easily change the way that antivirus products are looked at, with smaller footprints, much lower resource requirements and high-end realtime monitoring of what users download and execute on their computers, but when not connected to the internet then detection of resident threats is much lower.
Naturally, there is still a lot to be worked on to make this a general release, but having used this for the past week t does a reasonable job in stopping malware from being installed.
It does not warn of dangerous sites as many traditional antivirus programs do, but on the other hand, if you download malware or it downloads in the background, PCAV picks it up and deletes it.
Full Scan Result shows objects neutralized
At the moment, the deletions of known threats is instant, whereas unknown items that may be suspicious are placed in the built in Recycle Bin, from where they can be recovered.
Using this technique of not having an antivirus installed along with its definition database, when you are connected to the internet PCAV automatically connects to the servers and utilizes the Community Intelligence, and continues to monitor your system with no impact on your hard drive or CPU.
When offline the program uses its local cache that is stored on users computers.
The user interface is compact and user friendly and will show users the current status of their PC.
Other options are Settings and by enabling the 'Automatic management of possible viruses' there is no input required by the user.
The Scan option allows users to scan the whole computer or select specific drives, files folders or individual items as well as having the right-click context menu.
Report shows a list of malware found as well as a pie chart which is color coded and an Event report which can be opened to view all malware and suspicious items found and the status of the items.
All information collected by Panda through its network of Community Intelligence is anonymous and NO personal information is collected.
It is important that users have NO other antivirus installed if installing this program, it will not install if another antivirus is present.
Personally, I prefer to have an installed antivirus that I can monitor and will warn me to threats. 'In the cloud' just doesn't do it for me.
Download Panda Cloud Antivirus here
Program Introduction click here
Panda Cloud Antivirus Blog
System requirements:
Windows Vista 32 (also compatible with Windows Vista SP1 32-bit), Windows XP (32-bit with SP 2 or 3).64MB RAM
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Free PC Security, Technology, Panda Cloud Antivirus, Free Tools, Anti-Malware, Antivirus, PC Security
Comments and feedback are free and most welcomed
Reader Comments
There seem to be so many free security tools around now it's hard to know which ones to use. I've never heard of Panda cloud and I'm currently quite happy with AVG but if it's any good I might try it out.
technical jobs - There are many free security tools but the most important aspect is that the end user must be comfortable using them and they must do what they clam to do.
Panda Cloud is not one of the better ones, but it does do a reasonable job.
Regards
Colin