The fight against those nasty people wanting to slow down your machine, steal your data, spam your email and generally make your life miserable has just been given another weapon in its arsenal: BitDefender Internet Security 2009.

The new BitDefender range for 2009 comes in three flavours: Antivirus, Internet Security and Total Security. These three products share many of the same features, but as the price ­increases so does the amount of protection your computer gets. The ­version we tested was the one in the middle, and ­arguably the best value for the home user’s money.

BitDefender makes it easy for users unfamiliar to antivirus software by having a default setting that guards against just about every threat out there. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that there is just one setting. More advanced users can really go to town tuning BitDefender to do what you want it to.

BitDefender’s firewall is certified by West Coast Labs (W.C.L.), a leading software testing and certification organisation. The software continually monitors all incoming and outgoing data. The firewall has five tabs for settings that you can change according to what you want: Status, Traffic, Advanced, Activity and Zones. Using the firewall you can allow certain trusted programs to have unrestricted access to the Internet and resources.

BitDefender will also help keep your private data safe from the hands of scammers and spammers with its antispyware. Now you’ll be safe from adware, keyloggers, trojans and browser hijackers!

But BitDefender’s virus detection is what really sets it apart from most free apps out there. Virus Bulletin has given BitDefender a VB100%, the best you can get in terms of virus protection software. Your software only gets the 100% if it can detect every virus roaming the wild wastelands of cyberspace. Simply put, BitDefender’s antivirus capabilities are way out in front of the safety game. All three packages come with three user licenses which constitutes great value for money.

Get BitDefender Antivirus 2009 for R290 (incl VAT), ­Internet Security 2009 for R390 (incl VAT) and Total Security 2009 for R540 (incl VAT) from Holton & Associates on 011-789-6181 or purchase ­online from www.holton.co.za.