F-Secure Internet Security 2012 - Review

In June I reviewed F-Secure Internet Security 2012 but back then it was only in beta form. Now the final retail version has been released so I thought I’d take another quick look…

Key Benefits:

• Familiar interface
• Very easy to use
• Highly effective

As regular readers will know, F-Secure Internet Security products have been my favourite for some time now and, indeed, this year’s version, the subject of this review, is again my own personal choice.
Why is that?


Well, quite simply, it is very good at what it does. It is easy to install and even easier to use. It doesn’t use much in the way of system resources, stays largely in the background and my kids give it the thumbs up too. (Disclosure: F-Secure have given me a free key for this program {thanks @FSecure!} but I would like to think that I would wax lyrical anyway as I was a fan of this program long before that anyway).
System Requirements
F-Secure Internet Security 2012 has the following system requirements:

• all versions of Windows from XP through to 7
• 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended for Vista and 7)
• 600 MB of free hard drive space
• Internet Explorer 6 or better
• CD Rom and internet connection

Installation and first impression
I’m not going to go into too much detail with this review as I covered a lot of ground when I looked at the beta version a few months ago. For the most part the interface is unchanged though the keen-eyed amongst you will notice that the graphical designed has been spruced up slightly.

Features
As a full internet security suite, F-Secure Internet Security 2012 is feature packed. You can see what is available in the image below but they key highlights would be:

• Antivirus
• Anti-spyware
• Firewall
• DeepGuard
• Application control
• Intrusion prevention
• Dial-up control
• Email filtering
• Mobile broadband protection

Effectiveness
There are many reasons why I run this program on my own PC. Beyond being simple and unobtrusive the main point for me is it’s top quality protection. F-Secure Internet Security 2012 scores well in independent tests but, more importantly, it has done an excellent job of protecting my own PC for the last few years. And thats what counts!
Whats more, it passes my own key test: top quality protection without using an obscene amount of system resources.
As you may be able to see in the image below, CPU usage was very low whilst running a full system scan. Whats more, whilst this scan was in process I clicked on Send/Receive in my email client, watched a video on the BBC website and had another video running on YouTube. I also had another 3 instances of Chrome running and was playing some music too. All the while, F-Secure Internet Security 2012 was using around 10-15% of the CPU. Thats impressive!

Plus and minus points
I’m not really someone who gets overly excited about many things, perhaps because I’m getting old now, but I absolutely love this program. I’ve had various versions on my main desktop PC for a few years now and never had any issues whatsoever with malware or any other type of threat. The program does what it should, easily, simply, quickly and in the background.
I’ve tested many such programs and this is my favourite. I can’t think of anything negative to say here despite the fact that I do always look for potential problems in everything I review. It works. Simple as that. And, unlike some other security vendors that some of you may have experience with, these guys have, in my experience, always taken customer service very seriously indeed.
In comparison to all the other such programs I’ve looked at recently I’d put F-Secure Internet Security 2012 second behind BitDefender Total Security 2012 in terms of detection rates. Other than that, I’d rate this program as being the best in just about every aspect and would definitely recommended you add this one to your shortlist.


Do you want to see what the other vendors are offering this year? If so, read my other 2012 Internet Security reviews.