Trend Micro has gained a reputation as one of the innovators in the area of security software. Their latest offering for Mac, Smart Surfing, is a little bit of a different take on security, with some features that aren’t present or aren’t as fully developed (or fully documented) in other security packages.
For Mac users, who are increasingly concerned about security issues, do these features make the difference?
The Basics
Smart Surfing runs on Mac OS X Tiger (10.4.11 or higher), Leopard (10.5.5 or higher), and Snow Leopard (10.6 or higher), supporting both Intel and PowerPC processors. It requires 512 MB of RAM, with a recommended RAM total of at least 1 GB, and 400 MB of disk space.
In addition to virus and spyware protection, Smart Surfing also guards against phishing and IM or email-based viruses. Its central focus, though, as suggested by its name, is web protection, including a flexible content filter. Smart Surfing costs $49.95 US, with a free trial available as well.
The Pros
Smart Surfing is very good in terms of ease of use and interface design. In fact, among commercial security packages for Mac, it’s one of the best pieces of software in these respects. Installation of Smart Surfing is a smooth process, and it also includes an uninstaller, unlike many Mac programs.
For people who don’t want to fuss over Smart Surfing’s settings, the basic settings screen is about as simple as you can get. Smart Surfing will protect your machine from conventional viruses and malware, but where it really shines is in the area of protecting you from potentially harmful web content. The content filter is one of the most exhaustive available, as you can block not just adult content, but, well, just about any sort of content you can think of. If, for whatever reason, you decide you’d like to block auction sites, as just one example, you can do this. The screen that comes up when you attempt to access a blocked site is very clear and informative, and lets you know what you need to do in case this site shouldn’t have been blocked.
Despite the multitude of checks that Smart Surfing makes on each website you visit, it doesn’t seem to affect web browsing speed in any perceptible way. Smart Surfing does a very good job of identifying fraudulent and otherwise harmful websites without triggering many obvious false positives.
The Cons
The basic process of virus scanning is relatively slow with Smart Surfing, compared to other commercial antivirus programs. Although Smart Surfing’s interface is good for the most part, it’s unnecessarily difficult to access the “Preferences” section.
Smart Surfing doesn’t repair infected files, unlike programs like Norton or McAfee – all you can do is delete them once they’ve been detected. Scheduled scans may conflict with other activities, such as scheduled backups, which can cause one or both processes to be cancelled.
The Verdict
If you’re a heavy web user, or have heavy web users using your machine, Smart Surfing could be the best security program for you, thanks to the extended web protection it offers. Otherwise, it’s firmly in the middle of the pack as far as Mac-based security programs go.
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