BitDefender is an antivirus software suite developed by Romania-based software company SOFTWIN. It was launched in November 2001, and is currently in its thirteenth version. The 2010 version was launched in August 2009, and it includes several protection and performance enhancements.The BitDefender products feature antivirus and antispyware, personal firewall, privacy control, user control and backup for corporate and home users. PC Tuneup is available in the Total Security Suite.
BitDefender products
The BitDefender range includes antivirus products for home users, businesses, enterprise users and Internet service providers. Home editions support Microsoft Windows, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile and Mac OS X (Beta); business and enterprise editions support Microsoft Windows, Linux and FreeBSD. The current version of the Home/Home Office security suite includes antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall, e-mail spam filtering, backup, tune-up and parental control components. A free basic online scan is offered via the BitDefender website. The Free version however does require free registration and is valid for 1 year after registration.
Bitdefender is designed to protect computers from viruses and spyware. Older versions of BitDefender are made available for free download when newer versions are released. The first version which was made freely available was version 6. As of May 2009, version 12 of BitDefender is freely available for download. Unlike the commercial version, the free version only offers an on-demand virus scanning and doesn't provide real time scanning, and may therefore be less suitable for machines with a continuous connection to the internet.