Panda Platinum 2006 Internet Security

The best security suites have matured and are jockeying for the lead. Just recently, ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.0 was my favorite. But now, Panda Platinum 2006 Internet Security has the edge. The primary advantages of Panda Platinum are a more intuitive and versatile user interface, and, based on informal testing, slightly more thorough protection against malware.

Like leading competitors, Panda Platinum protects against viruses and similar malware, spam, and spyware, and provides a solid personal firewall that well exceeds the firewall that ships as part of Windows XP. And like competitors, Panda Platinum includes a component, which it calls TruPrevent, which detects potential malware that hasn't yet been identified in the wild. Panda Platinum accomplishes all of this without much "noise" to distract you from your work.

Besides Panda Platinum's slightly better protection against malware, two things in particular impress us. The first is that it offers a bevy of useful options wrapped in an elegantly designed, easy-to-use interface. For example, finding files that Panda Platinum has quarantined as potentially dangerous is just two mouse clicks away from your Windows taskbar. Some competitors make this process downright challenging.

The second is Panda Platinum's "CPU load management" option, which lets you reduce the slowdown that the product can have on system resources while using your computer. This is a godsend if you have a slower machine. But it also is so handy even with a fast computer that you may want to turn it on and off when appropriate — for example, when your system becomes sluggish while running many apps simultaneously or a particularly resource-hungry program.

For households and those who don't need quite as many security features, Panda also offers a lower-cost package, Panda Titanium 2006 Antivirus + Antispyware ($49.95, as compared to Platinum's $79.95), that lacks Platinum's privacy control, antispam, and Web content filtering features.

So should you buy Panda Platinum 2006 Internet Security? Not if you already have a security suite and are happy with it. But if you don't yet have a security suite or you're nearing product renewal time, yes. Panda Platinum currently is the product to beat as the race among competitors charges forward.