SOFTWIN is the Romanian based company which developed the BitDefender program and launched it in December 2001; the latest is version 12. An earlier antivirus program from the same company called AntiVirus eXpert (AVR) was scrapped in favour of the BitDefender. However, the BitDefender group had been hived off in 2007 and now exists as a separate entity from SOFTWIN. The new company launched products for home and business use as well as those for internet service providers. They also provide mobile options for smartphones. The program can support different Windows systems as well as those running on Symbian, Mac and Linux. BitDefender also offers a free online scan for viruses.
- Installation– The free basic online scan software can be downloaded easily but is best suited for systems that are not continuously connected to the internet, because there is no provision for real time scanning. Otherwise, the standard system requirements as needed for installing competitors products applies – for configuring the Home and Business editions of the BitDefender.
- Features and Ease of Use– One of the most important features is that it is the least expensive of the top antivirus solutions, as ranked by PC World. Another important feature is that older versions are available free once the latest version has been launched; this option began with version 6. However, it is important to note that the free online version only offers on demand antivirus scanning and no other functions, whereas the paid editions, like the security suite, has antispyware, firewall, email spam filter, parental control, tune-up and back-up features.
- PerformanceReviews – PC Answers gave the home version of BitDefender its Editor’s Choice Award in May 2007. The program had passed Virus Bulletin’s independent tests 14 times between 2002 and 2007 with 6 failures. AV Comparatives has given the software advanced certification for its on demand scanning feature, but only a standard certification for locating unknown viruses. Most reviews have pointed out that BitDefender has a tendency to return false positives and also that it has a comparatively slow scanning speed.
- Help and Support– Compared to some of its top competitors, support is inadequate for troubleshooting any concerns that a client may have.
- Other Issues – More current and independent test results are awaited to check how well the BitDefender software fairs against similar products of other companies. Slow scanning speed remains a concern.
The special free download scan feature is a plus for the BitDefender program as is the availability of older versions free of cost. Being the lowest priced of the top 3 programs will definitely bring in more customers, but if they do not see that the software provides value for money, the client will opt for a competitor’s product next time around. Therefore BitDefender needs to look into those aspects identified as concerns by reviewers and formulate an action plan to do things better, so that it provides consistent quality at the best possible price. This would ensure its emergence as a winner!