F-Secure Anti-Virus Client Security review: F-Secure Anti-Virus Client Security

Review summary

Designed for desktop PCs running on small to medium-size networks, F-Secure Anti-Virus Client Security (AVCS) is an impressive antivirus package and is far superior to F-Secure Anti-Virus 2003 for Windows, the company's single-user application, in both features and functionality. AVCS even runs well on laptops unplugged from corporate LANs. F-Secure deserves praise for adding a firewall to AVCS, an essential security feature not found in Sophos Anti-Virus 3.7, Norton AntiVirus 2004 Professional (NAVP), or McAfee VirusScan Professional 8.0 (MVP). AVCS is priced at $31.92 per user with a minimum of 100 user licenses, but home users and those in small offices can find a similar level of protection in Trend Micro's PC-cillin 2004. We installed AVCS on a standalone notebook PC. Setup via CD-ROM is short and sweet: load the CD, select Client or Policy Manager setup, and it's over in minutes. Unlike Norton AntiVirus 2004, AVCS doesn't run a preinstall scan--a time-consuming step that nevertheless adds an extra layer of security by scanning for viruses and worms before setup. We were also disappointed that AVCS doesn't run a postinstall scan--a standard feature of just about every antivirus program on the market. However, F-Secure officials assure us that IT administrators can enable this feature.

AVCS's interface easily beats that of Sophos Anti-Virus and rivals those of industry leaders NAVP and MVP in the ease-of-use department. The main screen shows the current status of your PC's security, with green check-mark or yellow exclamation-point icons indicating whether everything is fine or adjustments are needed. Compared with F-Secure Anti-Virus for Windows 2003, the company's desktop antivirus program, AVCS makes scheduling scans and configuring system settings a breeze. Simply click the Virus Protection icon to access a list of setup options.

The firewall component is integrated within the main interface and is easy to configure--a boon for traveling or telecommuting workers who need to tweak their security settings. One gripe: the firewall's Application Control interface doesn't lead you through the process of adding or removing Internet-accessing applications; rather, you must browse the hard drive yourself to find the appropriate executable files.

All in all, however, the AVCS interface is nicely done. F-Secure Anti-Virus Client Security, thanks to its integrated firewall, provides a security shield superior to those offered by Sophos Anti-Virus, Norton AntiVirus 2004, or McAfee VirusScan 8.0, none of which provides built-in firewall protection. Like its competitors, AVCS also scans both POP3 and SMTP and inbound and outbound e-mail attachments for viruses and worms. (In Sophos, inbound and outbound scanning is an optional plug-in.)

AVCS keeps up with the big boys in other areas, too. Its real-time scanner inspects attachments downloaded from chat applets, as do NAVP and MVP, but not Sophos Anti-Virus. AVCS also delves inside zipped and other compressed archives, but only if you activate this feature, which is turned off by default. Scheduled and manual scans, however, do automatically check compressed files.

The scanner performs unattended daily, weekly, or monthly scans at whatever times you specify. It also has the unique ability to scan during slow periods, such as when your PC has been inactive for five minutes. This handy feature is ideal for lunchtime or lengthy work meetings, particularly if you plan to turn off your PC after work. In CNET Labs tests, F-Secure Anti-Virus Client Security caused more system performance drag than Norton AntiVirus 2004 Professional or McAfee Professional 8.0. And F-Secure took longer to scan our 1GB drive than did McAfee or Norton. Here are our test results: