CA Launches Internet Security Suite Plus 2010

Data protection company CA announced the launch of Internet Security Suite 2010, a security and protection software suite for accessing the Internet for banking, shopping and spending time online. It includes an Internet Protection Plan at no additional cost, providing up to $10,000 in coverage for identity theft or PC damage from a virus.

ISS Plus 2010 is powered by an updated core processing technology that helps boost performance and accuracy in detecting malware, the company said. The business-strength firewall, antivirus, anti-spyware, and anti-phishing software have also been updated. ISS Plus 2010 features cached scanning for faster anti-malware scans as well as an updated, more intuitive user interface, with software components certified effective by independent testing organizations including ICSA Labs, Virus Bulletin and West Coast Labs. ISS Plus 2010 retails for $69.99, with a one-year subscription for up to three PCs in the household.

Tom Neary, director of product management for CA, said online threats from viruses, malware and cyber-criminals are growing and becoming more sophisticated each day. "Going beyond security, we are responding to consumers' needs for effective and easy-to-use solutions that provide all the tools necessary to help defend their computers and secure their data," he said. “That is why we have created Internet Security Suite Plus 2010, bringing consumers the same powerful security technology that our enterprise customers rely on.”

CA’s security suite also includes, at no additional charge, an Internet Protection Plan with up to $10,000 in identity theft coverage and coverage against damage to your PC caused by a computer virus. The available identity theft coverage safeguards data on one PC with Mobile Lifeline software, which offers identity theft protection of up to $5,000 if a user’s identity is compromised. Further, if a PC fails as a result of a virus infection after ISS Plus 2010 is properly installed, users are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in technical service and/or hardware repair or replacement. CA notes this plan covers up to five PCs with a combined aggregate limit of $5,000.

CA is targeting home users as well as small office-home office (SOHO) customers with features like data backup, restore and migration as well as parental controls. Research from a CA-sponsored study of online behavior shows that more than 50 percent of children have been confronted by strangers online. ISS Plus 2010's parental controls are designed to allow parents to filter, monitor or block access to Websites, instant messaging and peer-to-peer services that may contain objectionable content. Various options allow users to filter blocked keywords in IM chats and restrict Website access and easily establish usage time limits. CA noted the parental controls functionality also blocks violence, social networking, blogs, forums and shopping sites.