The hottest trend in anti-virus software these days is something called "cloud computing."
The idea is simple. The client PC should not try to run all the software components to protect itself. There is no way it can do so effectively without putting a noticeable burden on resources.
Instead, why not build a backend system with unlimited storage and tons of distributed computing power, then let the client PC connect to it via the Internet?
Most anti-malware software that professes to be "low-impact" resorts to this, to some extent, but
Prevx and
Panda Security have made it their specialty. Unfortunately, Prevx does not offer a version that's free for personal use, other than to remove trivial adware, so that's why today we're focusing on
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0. If you are willing to pony up $35 per PC, Prevx is a serious contender in the cloud niche.
Cloud antivirus solutions are characterized by small installation packages. The download for Prevx 3.0, for example, is less than a megabyte. At over 20 MB, Panda's client component is much larger, but installation is still very quick. Compared with some of the "bloatware" antivirus software I've encountered, Panda's 20MB client is a non-issue.
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0 works by setting up a two-way exchange between the company's antivirus server farm and Panda antivirus software users around the world. Files already identified as threats are cleaned or quarantined immediately. Suspicious, but not yet known to be malicious, files are closely watched and uploaded to Panda for analysis. Reports say over 50,000 files per day are submitted for review.
This process is the essence of the cloud system. Removal instructions for newly-discovered threats are available as soon as they are devised and tested, and the discovery of new threats is ongoing. There is no delay to download signature files and no "update" button to press. When done right, cloud-based malware protection is an elegant search-and-destroy ecosystem.
Minimalists will love Panda's interface, which consists of only three buttons (Settings, Scan, and Reports.) The software goes to work immediately, cleaning existing infestations. In limited testing, however, I found Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition is much better at defending a pristine system than cleaning one that's already infected. Nevertheless, in the realm of free solutions, Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition is hard to beat.
My only other criticism is the software's insistence that you uninstall other security software before it will install. One of the things I like about Prevx 3.0 and
SurfRight's Hit Man Pro (another popular cloud-based solution) is that you can use them in tandem with other security software and get "layered protection."
I've never seen security software that was #1 at everything, so it's ill-conceived for Panda to insist on being the only game in town. This policy is a serious negative in my book, and something the company should reconsider.
Cloud-based antivirus software needs an Internet connection to provide protection, but if your connection drops, you are not left defenseless. Panda
stores a locally-cached copy of its "collective intelligence" for such occasions, but any updates won't be part of the cache until you reconnect. The longer you stay offline, the greater your vulnerability, but that's also true with conventional free antivirus software that relies on updates, such as AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0, Avira AntiVir or AVAST! Free Antivirus.
Lead product developer
Pedro Bustamante and the Cloud AV team have obviously done a good job of thinking cloud-based antivirus protection through. If you're the type who refuses to pay for anti-virus/anti-spyware protection, Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0 is definitely worth a look. The software works with all recent versions of Windows, including Windows 7, x86 and x64 versions, and is free for personal use.
