Product Review: IDENTITY GUARD TOTAL PROTECTION WITH ZONEALARM

This service is unique in that it combines the top rated Internet security software from ZoneAlarm with the extensive identity theft protection services provided by Identity Guard. This is important because the goal of many hackers is to access your personal information and perpetrate any number of identity theft related crimes against you. Both of these services are very good as stand alone products but are exceptional when combined together to give you the ultimate in Internet and identity security. Identity Guard has recently further enhanced its offering by offering a free 30-day trial of its full service, making trying it, and downloading the free Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite, a no-risk proposition.

The ZoneAlarm software offers extensive protection against viruses, spyware and adware by identifying risks in real-time and preventing them from being downloaded on to your computer. ZoneAlarm has historically been able to identify and block new viruses and other malware in 0-2 hours which means that it is extremely effective against even the newest threats to your computer.

Installing ZoneAlarm is extremely simple and intuitive. It takes about ten minutes to download the software and another ten minutes to configure through the easy to use step-by-step installer. This configuration process included a complete scan of your computer's hard drive to identify any harmful programs that may be present. The ZoneAlarm installation also includes several options for setting up default security settings on your computer.

The effectiveness of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software was tested by visiting websites that were known to be high risk and downloaded programs that were known to include spyware. In each case, ZoneAlarm effectively alerted potential issues present in either the website or the program that was to be downloaded with easy to understand warning messages.

Another helpful feature of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software is their Wireless PC Protection. This tool will assist configure wireless networks in range of your computer and will alert you to any potential security issues present in those networks. Given the frequency that PC users access any number of wireless networks in public places such as coffee shops, office lobbies and airports, the wireless protection is big plus for ZoneAlarm.

The computer and Internet security provided by ZoneAlarm is bolstered by the addition of Identity Guard's identity theft detection service. Identity theft detection services like Identity Guard help to detect if you have become a victim of identity theft by monitoring your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus. Identity Guard goes far beyond other identity theft detection services by also proactively monitoring public records for any changes in your name, scanning for application or social security fraud, and monitoring the Internet's black market for any use of your credit cards or other personal information. They've also recently added anti-keylogging software, lost wallet protection (they can cancel your credit card accounts and give you up to $2,000 advance if you need it) and a Personal ID Risk Assessment. Like many credit monitoring services, Identity Guard Total Protection completes daily scans of all 3 of your credit files and notifies you of any changes. It also gives you all 3 of your credit reports and all 3 of your credit scores every quarter. If anything is found, they will alert you by e-mail immediately. They also make it very easy to place fraud alerts with the bureaus yourself if you want to take that extra preventative step. $20,000 of identity theft insurance is also included in your subscription in case the worst somehow does still happen.

Identity Guard with ZoneAlarm is priced differently than other Internet security software services. Rather than paying an annual fee subscribers pay $14.99 per month which includes all of the features detailed above. The cost of this product is significantly higher than the other services at about $180 per year, but one must consider that you are essentially receiving three services, credit report monitoring, identity theft protection and Internet security software, for the same price that you would pay if you purchased Identity Guard as a standalone product. Plus, even if you choose to cancel your Identity Guard subscription within the 30 day free trial period you can keep the ZoneAlarm software (although you won't receive any of the virus and spyware definitions which keep your computer safe against new threats), your 3-bureau credit report and score, and your public records report.

Overall, Identity Guard Total Protection with ZoneAlarm offers the unique protection for your PC and identity theft protection that sets it apart from any of the other Internet security software providers.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista

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