Trend Micro Internet Security Pro

Trend Micro’s Internet Security Pro brings together antivirus, anti-spyware, a two-way firewall, and parental controls into one well-designed interface.

We were impressed that a program that requires 350MB of storage space installed so quickly. Basic setup was automatically completed in just under 3 minutes. Internet Security Pro even offered the option to open the main console upon completion of the setup. No restart was required, letting us get right back to work.

Once installed, boot time increased by about a minute. The primary interface of this security suite is clean and well laid out, with sections and associated subcontrols available for such items as antivirus, firewall, parental controls, and e-mail. Unlike the other offerings in this roundup, the first time we ran Internet Security Pro after installation, it did not automatically update, so you’ll need to set up that option yourself.

Internet Security Pro did quite well on our performance tests, as we didn’t encounter any system slowdowns while multitasking or Web browsing. Thankfully, there were no annoying default pop-ups asking permission to run programs. The software lets you know if anything is amiss via its interface, offering a “fix all” solution for a one-click-and-correct scenario. We also like that you can generate a report of your most recent security issues, so you know exactly what problems your PC is encountering. We would like to have seen a quick virus scan feature, however.

While it certainly isn’t a necessity for a security suite, Trend Micro scored extra points with us because of Pro features like the effective System Tuner, which cleans your hard drive and checks your system registry, and Remote File Lock (a password-protected folder on your computer) for broken and invalid files.

While not quite as thorough as Norton Internet Security Suite 2008, Trend Micro Internet Security Pro provides a good set of features and is light on system resources. You’ll want to put this program on your short list of security products to consider.