Panda Cloud Antivirus 2.0.0

Overview

The Panda Cloud Antivirus is Panda’s first foray into the realm of freeware. It is a very good antivirus that has a permanent, real time connection with the PandaLabs Collective Intelligence servers. There are many advantages of this cloud antivirus. Firstly, there is minimal strain on your system’s resources as much of the program's heavy lifting is located into the cloud. And secondly, it actually is a very good solution against all kinds of malware such as viruses, Trojans, worms and more. Panda Cloud Antivirus is an alternative to the big bosses of the antivirus security industry. Let’s analyze the features of Panda Cloud Antivirus in this quick article.

Installation

The installation process of Panda Cloud Antivirus is quick and simple. This antivirus truly gives a new meaning to the “lightweight tool” expression. At around 500KB, you will quickly download and install Panda Cloud Antivirus. You should be happy to find out that it doesn’t come bundled with adware/malware or other programs. In terms of specs, the minimum requirements are the Windows XP operating system, 64 MB RAM memory and 100 MB of free drive space.

Interface

To say that the Panda Cloud Antivirus is a simple tool to use is truly an understatement. Many were intrigued by the interface of this antivirus when it made its first appearance. Just three unlabeled buttons to change settings, launch a scan, or view statistics were provided back then. Nowadays, the interface retains its simplicity and ease of use but a few more options were implemented. It boasts a smooth and elegant look that makes Panda Cloud Antivirus the perfect choice for novice and average users.

Pros

Panda Cloud Antivirus is a very good tool that offers the standard features you would expect from a security solution while adding some unique aspects into the mix. You know whether you are safe or not as soon as you open the tool’s main window. The big green or red button will make sure of this. A Quick Scan and a Custom scan for specific folder, files, and drives are provided. The ancillary features of Panda Cloud are light. Choosing to not contribute anonymous data to the cloud is an option but this means you are also opted out of automatic threat management. The reporting feature is especially useful as it informs you what kind of threats have been detected and removed from your system. The reports can be filtered by Last 24 hours, All, Last Week or Last Month and you can also recover a false positive with the help of the Recycle Bin panel.

Panda Cloud Antivirus also offers a modest degree of customizations and tweaks through some settings hidden behind a rather cheesy “flipping” screen. In the benchmark department, Panda Cloud is certainly a winner as it is a fast antivirus that doesn’t bog down the system. With the Panda Cloud Antivirus, you can download files, surf the web and use your PC with having concern about getting infected as it does a tremendous job at keeping malware away. It is certainly very effective in protecting your PC.

Cons

The functionality is limited when no internet connection is available.

Alternatives

A similar cloud based protection solution is Immunet Protect, but if you prefer a classic security solution, you should have a look at ClamAV which actually shares its core library with Immunet Protect. Other regular security options include Norton Antivirus, AVG Free and Kaspersky Antivirus.

Conclusion

In retrospect, Panda Cloud Antivirus is an effective security solution targeted mainly at novice users. If you are a seasoned user, you might have a preference for some of its competition that is more well known.