Just about everyone who has a computer in the past quarter of a century has heard of AVG. It traces its history back in 1992, and it reached American shores in 1998. It has boosted its profile with its iconic AVG Antivirus Free, and today it keeps on reaping awards left and right. Even its venerable free AVG Antivirus (now with its latest version for 2016) has received the PCMag Editors’ Choice award for free antivirus programs. And just recently it offers a slew of programs that offer protection for a variety of devices.
AVG Antivirus
No discussion of AVG will ever be complete without mentioning its free antivirus program. It’s meant for personal use only, but if you upgrade to the premium version you get additional features like Online Shield and Data Safe. But the free version already offers awesome protection.
It offers updated protection for blocking viruses, spyware, and other malware. It also protects your Mac as well as your Android device, and with the AVG Zen feature you have one dashboard which you can conveniently use to monitor all your devices. With remote protection, you can also use your mobile to scan and clean your PC. It even offers link protection by scanning links in Twitter and Facebook feeds.
With the Pro version, you get the Online Shield which scans your every download to protect you from anything harmful. The Data Safe feature also protects your private files with password and encryption protection. The anti-spam feature keeps your email inbox tidy and free of spam and scam emails. The priority updates remind you of security updates, while the enhanced firewall blocks cybercriminals from accessing your PC so that you can do your online shopping and banking securely.
Other Programs
One new feature that’s generating a lot of buzz is the AVG Zen. It’s available in 3 AVG products: the free AVG Protection (antivirus), free AVG Performance (which tunes devices), and premium AVG Ultimate.
Essentially, this feature enables you to monitor and manage all the mobile devices used by your family. It oversees the antivirus protection for each device, checks on the performance, keeps tabs on privacy features, and offers anti-theft protection. And you can do all these with a single dashboard.
Another new product is the premium AVG Safe Surf. This program gives you the ultimate privacy, because you’ll get your own VPN (virtual private network). Basically, what a VPN does is to encrypt all the data you receive and send. It’s a crucial tool for the security-conscious, especially when you use public Wi-Fi.
Awards
It seems like every year, AVG receives awards from various security assessment organizations like clockwork. For 2015, it has received an award from AV-Test for the AVG Internet Security, 3 awards from AV-Comparatives for performance, malware removal, and Mac security, and another 3 awards from Virus Bulletin 100.
Simply put, AVG is one of the most trusted names in computer security. If you want to keep your computer safe, AVG is always a good bet.
Please click here for a more recent review of AVG Intеrnеt Security Unlimitеd and AVG Ultimаtе