RIVERDEEP ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2005 ( Windows )

Rating:
Summary: ZoneAlarm Suite 2005 beats McAfee 2005!
Review: After reading a few reviews of the new ZoneAlarm Suite, I feared I might have installation problems. But after some recent trouble downloading McAfee Internet Suite updates and great disappointment with the changes in the new McAfee Internet Suite 2005, I decided to give the new ZoneAlarm Suite a try. This program contains a firewall and an anti-virus feature as well. The anti-virus component is not as "prominent" as users of other programs might be used to, but it is there and the software interface does show that your system is protected from such threats.

I am pleased with the results. The software (boxed CD version) installed flawlessly and seems to be working nicely on a desktop using Windows XP. I like to use internet suites that I can "set and forget," and that pretty much describes this product. I am glad I made the switch!

Rating:
Summary: Complete Security Package
Review: I purchased this package just 5 days after buying Trend Micro Internet Security 2004, as I needed a suite for a second computer and I had only a single license. My second system was running Norton Internet Security 2003 (NIS2003), and I was getting frustrated by the memory footprint and resource consumption of NIS2003 (the antivirus in particular) and decided that I needed to make a change. On the recommendation of the system administrator at the office, I decided to purchase ZoneAlarm Security Suite 2005 (ZSS2005).

I should preface this review by saying, rather bluntly, that I prefer the Trend package. Trend is smaller and faster, which are my two main sticking points when it comes to software. However, Trend also lacks some of the refinements found in bigger packages. I did not make a mistake buying ZSS2005, though, and am happy with my overall decision.

The most important components of the package are the firewall and the antivirus. I will talk to these points first, then discuss the rest of the suite.

The firewall is generally regarded as the best on the market when it comes to software solutions. Those reviews are on-target. The firewall is extremely highly configurable, easy to manipulate, and a bear to bypass. There are settings for nearly everything - setting ranges of IP addresses and ports to filter out, high/medium/low settings via sliders to define general behavior, and program access not unlike that found in NIS. Access to the settings is done through a dialog that is easy on the eyes and laid out in a very logical and clear manner. There should be no problem finding anything you need to find in the interface.

The alerts that the firewall sends are glaring and unmistakable, so that if there is some kind of activity you want to know about, you cannot help but know about it. With a button click you can dismiss the alerts, and if you are tired of them you can tell the firewall to be quiet and the alerts get toned down.

Program access to the internet is done in a manner similar to that of NIS, where each program is handled individually. This can be configured to be automatic, or it can be done on a case-by-case basis via manual action. The choice is yours.

If you're daring and you know what you're doing you can even establish your own custom rulesets for the firewall.

The other primary feature, the antivirus, is based on Computer Associate's scanner engine, and it seamlessly integrates into the package without trouble. While not especially fast at scanning, this antivirus actually lets me run scans in the background while I do other things. Granted, I wouldn't want to load up Doom3 or something like that while running a viral scan, but opening an app or two and doing a little work while the virus checker merrily does its thing is not a big deal. Sure, it slows down the other processes, but it doesn't completely kill the box like McAfee, Norton or Trend do.

The antivirus does have the ability to check email (inbound and outbound) for infection, and the base settings are simply on or off. Further controls allow for handling of attachments based on file extension.

There are several minor features of this firewall, some of them useful and some needing a little refinement. One of the nice features is a parental control facility. The configuration of such is very straightforward - on/off via radio buttons. There are many categories to choose from when deciding what to block or allow, and this list is straightforward. Once set, it is quite efficient and is independent of browser choice. It appears to rely on a lookup server as opposed to keeping a local copy of the list - this may or may not bother you, so consider this when enabling this feature.

One of the less refined features is the ad blocking, which hides in the privacy settings. I have found that it does not do as nice a job at blocking banner ads as I would hope and it lets a few slip through. This may improve down the road, but for now I personally am a little disappointed.

ZSS2005 has the ability to secure instant messaging transmissions as well. However, it requires that the person with whom you are communicating also have ZSS2005. Otherwise, everything stays unencrypted. This does make sense.

There is a setting for blocking spam, but this is misleading. The spam to which this setting refers is unsolicited instant messages, not email. There is apparently no email antispam functionality in this suite, which is something a lot of other packages offer, even if the feature is typically limited in scope. If you already have an antispam solution, great. If not, do not expect ZSS2005 to be of much help.

ZSS2005 is a nearly comprehensive solution that does a good job protecting your system while connected to the internet. It is fast enough to satisfy, it has a small footprint in memory, and is very light on resources. Although it is a newcomer on the internet security suite market, this one is absolutely worth a look. It has a good balance of power, speed and price.

Rating:
Summary: The Good, the bad and the Ugly of ZoneAlarm
Review: Till recently, words like "Firewall" and "Hackers" were limited to corporate networks. However, today firewall software for home computers has gained as much importance as the virus protection software and rightly so. With fast, always on internet connections and computers that don't need to be shut down every night, your home pc is an easy target for hackers looking for a host pc to run their web pages or applications, to steal informatin like credit card numbers and address or just to hone their skills. This is why you need the firewall. There is no question about it.

The real question to ask is "Do I need to spend close to 60 bucks to buy ZoneAlarm?"
The answer is NO.
Firstly, if you are on Windows XP you already have basic firewall protection. Please look at your manual to see how to turn it on. For most users this is enough. If you are really interested in getting more protection, read on.
If you have a router to share your internet connection with multiple home machines, then check the router manual. Many have firewall capability which is very powerfull and can protect you from most attacks. This firewall is as good as ZoneAlarm.
If you don't have either, you will need something like ZA. But before you rush to order it, I would encourage you to try the free trial version available from www.download.com. At this website, you will also find lot of other firewall programs for free.

Finally if you still wanna buy ZA then you should be aware of following problems:
1) If you have virus protection software like Norton or McAfee, ZA may actually mess your system up as all these softwares try to grab same files at startup time causing conflicts and system crashes. I had such a hard time that I had to uninstall ZA and clean up my entire system. The problem can be so bad that you may actually not be able to log into your machine at all.

2) Poor customer service: ZA doesn't have good, knowledgable customer service. If you run into technical issues, don't expect quick, easy to follow directions to get out of the mess.

That said, I still consider ZA to be a good alternative if you do not have Windows' built in firewall or router with firewall capability. However, do try the free version before you buy ZA Pro.