Trend Micro has created a comprehensive all-in-one security solution. Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security, for the price of one license, can protect up to three PCs plus your mobile phones and tablets, including the iPhone and iPad. They also provide a generous 10GB of free, automatic online backup and flexible parental control filters and a scheduler. Since social media threats are prevalent, they have also included the ability to scan Facebook, Twitter and Mixi links before you open them and before your friends click them, so they are protected as well. Though we would like to see them receive higher efficacy scores, we do think that this premium security suite is a good value.
Though no security company can promise absolute protection from everything, we rated highest those that can offer nearly complete protection. If we average all the test scores we looked at for Trend Micro, they earn about 67%. That may technically earn you a passing grade in school, but you would not want to risk being exposed to 33% of the malware, spyware and phishing scams that you encounter. Nonetheless, in the July 2011 full product tests conducted by AV-Comparatives, they scored well. In this four-month test series, the suite earned an Advanced+ rating against 16 other full suites. West Coast Labs and VB100 have not tested Trend Micro in over three years, and ICSA has not tested them at all.
Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security is not without merit. One security tool in particular stands out. That is its ability to scan links on social networking sites before you click on them to ensure that they are good, safe links. Since Facebook is often plagued with scams, this is an extremely valuable tool. This security suite can scan links on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Mixi. It is also one of the few that protect from all types of malware coming in from a variety of directions, including through chat, email, file sharing and via your home network.
This suite comes with two valuable premium features – mobile device protection and 10GB of online storage. The mobile device protection can secure iPhones, iPads, Android devices, Windows Mobile phones and Symbian smartphones. It will scan apps before you download them and can lock or wipe a lost or stolen mobile phone. The mobile security also has a firewall, can scan for malware and provides protected web surfing. The 10GB of online backup is generous. Most premium suites only come with 2GB of free storage. You can also configure the application to back up your selected files automatically.
Other premium features include PC tuneup tools, identity protection and file encryption. Trend Micro calls their PC tuneup tools the System Tuner. This can be configured to automatically create restore points, free up disk space, disable startup programs, clean internet data and note registry changes. The identity protection module can be used to block specific data from being entered into webpages, emails or chat conversations. You can configure it to secure information such as your home address, email addresses, phone numbers and credit card numbers. The Trend Micro Vault can keep files secure, and they can be recovered online if your PC or laptop are lost or stolen.
The Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security suite includes the standard features you would expect to find in a security suite, including parental controls, custom scan options, USB scanning, laptop tools and USB device scanning. Using the parental control tools, you can create custom profiles for each of your children. You can control what websites they visit as well as how much time they can spend online. You can filter websites by type and URL. A unique feature that Trend Micro includes is the ability to change how the interface looks. You can choose from backgrounds like ocean waves, scrolls, colors and more. This of course has nothing to do with security, but it is a fun option.
Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security has one of the most attractive and easy to understand user interfaces; however, if you need assistance you can contact them 24/7 by email, phone or live chat. Trend Micro posts volumes of information about their software online, and if you need advanced technical support, they offer paid support plans.
This premium internet security suite includes a few extras that set it apart from other suites, such as 10GB of free storage, smartphone and tablet protection, automatic backup and social network link scanning. These are all valuable inclusions and can greatly reduce the cost of purchasing separate services and software. Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security is one of the most complete suites, and with an increase in Trend Micro's efficacy scores we can see them competing directly with some of the heavy hitters.
