FOR
Installation and configuration is kept
simple and is wizard-based, making the process less time consuming and
positively easy.
AGAINST
Nothing major.
VERDICT
eTrust swept the board to provide an
impeccable score across the detection and disinfection stakes.
This is a solution that may have missed
last year's tests but it has entered this year's with confidence, claiming
to provide "bulletproof virus protection." The features it boasts are
fairly comprehensive, with an array of useful benefits such as
heuristic virus detection,
signature updates, compressed file scanning, centralized event logging
and alerting, and several handy virus handling options together with
enterprise management capabilities. Providing remote and local management
options, eTrust Antivirus uses an Explorer-type GUI that is easy to follow
and rule-based scanning options.
Automated updates are available to take
the pain out of manual retrieval. Problems that arise are notified with a
plethora of options such as Microsoft Mail, SMTP, SNMP network broadcast
messages, pagers and Trouble Tickets (print queue). Analysis and tracking
can be achieved through the extensive scan reporting facility, and alerts
carry different message levels to enable clearer and informed actions to
be taken.
Polymorphic activity is observed through the use of rule-based
scanning and integrity checks are made by looking at the file size and
observing any change in that size.
Installation and configuration is kept
simple and is wizard-based, making the process less time consuming and
positively easy. The documentation is in places over simplified (as in the
"Ask Your Buddy" section). However, taking into account the need for less
complicated security that's easy to implement and that will provide
excellent results it does make sense, especially if you don't have a
specialized team to implement your system set-up. This is certainly no
detriment but a positive step to ensure understanding of what is to be
achieved, how and why.
Computer Associates can be really proud
of its achievements in this year's round of exhaustive tests after missing
out on last year's rounds. Just to remind readers, in the 2000 testing
their solution, although impressive, failed to command the highest results
across the board. This year however, we can see an eminently improved
standard throughout with some fantastic overall results. With the
in-the-wild list eTrust swept the board with a 100 percent return only
to follow this with another perfect score for the updated in-the-wild
collection. Polymorphic detection also proved a strong area for eTrust
with yet another 100 percent return. Where some of the solutions struggled
to provide the ultimate in macro detection eTrust galloped ahead, taking
the process in its formidable stride and assured us further with another
flawless return.
Speed was also no problem to this
antivirus solution, giving its best with a 9.16. Although this was the
third highest time taken to scan the 100 attachments, it made sure it was
thorough. With 150 viruses of the most determined kind in its path eTrust
not only found them but disinfected them all, sweeping the board to the
tune of yet another perfect 100 percent return and providing a impeccable
score across the detection and disinfection stakes.
