iYogi Secures $9.5M in Series B Funding Led by SAP Ventures, With Follow-on Investment from Canaan Partners and SVB India Capital Partners

iYogi Secures $9.5M in Series B Funding Led by SAP Ventures, With Follow-on Investment from Canaan Partners and SVB India Capital Partners
iYogi, a Direct-to-Consumer and Small Business Technical Support Provider, Paves the Way for Personal Offshoring to Become India’s Next Success Story

New York, 24 July, 2008: Personal Offshoring, which is driving the next wave of India’s outsourcing success story, got a huge boost today when iYogi - a remote technical supportprovider from India - raised $ 9.5 million in Series B financing from SAP Ventures, a division of SAP AG, Canaan Partners and SVB India Capital Partners, a venture fund affiliate of Silicon Valley Bank.

iYogi (www.iyogi.net) delivers technical support services directly to consumers and small businesses and is the first, global, technical support brand based out of India. The company offers its customers an unlimited, annual service subscription for $119.99 per desktop that includes support for a wide range of technologies, including PC hardware Microsoft Windows operating system, software applications, peripherals and multifunctional devices.

“Personal Offshoring has created new investment opportunities in India with incredible growth potential,” said Doug Higgins, partner at SAP Ventures. “It is very exciting to see companies like iYogi challenging the traditional enterprise-focused offshore-service delivery model by creating a consumer-focused, direct-to-customer personal offshore model. iYogi is one of the fastest-growing companies in this market segment, and we look forward to working with them to create India’s next success story.”

“Our focus on the customer experience has helped us achieve a 93 percent satisfaction rate across more than 50,000 customers,” said Uday Challu, CEO of iYogi. “We are delighted to have the support of three terrific investors as we increase our market share and continue to provide the best technical support experience possible for our customers.”

iYogi will use the funds to fuel its expansion into 12 new regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and to increase its delivery of new services including PC recovery, anti-virus/spyware, data back-up and PC optimization.

“As consumer technologies grow in sophistication, consumers will be seeking the kind of home IT support services – including remote services offered by companies such as iYogi – to help them solve their most complex problems,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst, Parks Associates. “In primary research, we found more than one-third of consumers are willing to pay for competent and professional remote support services, and 60% express a strong interest in software solutions – what we refer to as ‘PC Dashboards’ – that automate many basic PC performance enhancement and troubleshooting features, solving many PC-related problems before they even are noticed by end-users.”

iYogi had previously raised $3.1 million in Series A financing from Canaan Partners and SVB in April of last year. “iYogi is one of the most promising investments for Canaan Partners,” said Alok Mittal, managing director of India at Canaan Partners. “Third-party, vendor-independent technical support is an exciting new service category, witnessing explosive growth. Customers are looking beyond the traditional vendor-provided support to remote channels for better problem resolution, faster service, and greater overall satisfaction. iYogi has created an incredible value proposition and price offering for its customers that is hard to beat.”

”Several next generation outsourcing companies from India are delivering a range of personal offshoring services for individuals and small businesses in the U.S. including online tutoring, tax preparation, remote executive assistance and research services,” said Suresh Shanmugham, managing director of SVB India Capital Partners, a venture fund affiliate of Silicon Valley Bank. “iYogi has leveraged the technical skills available in India along with process expertise to scale as a global technical support provider for millions faced with increasingly complex technology”.

About SAP Ventures
SAP Ventures invests in innovative and disruptive software and services companies globally. We pursue opportunities across all stages for outstanding financial return. Our goal is to bring substantial benefit to all parties by facilitating interaction between portfolio companies and SAP and its ecosystem of customers and partners. SAP Ventures has a successful track record of building industry-leading companies by partnering with outstanding entrepreneurs and top-tier venture capital firms since 1996. For more information, visit www.sapventures.com.

About Canaan Partners

Canaan Partners is a global venture capital firm specializing in early-stage information technology and life sciences companies. Founded in 1987, Canaan Partners has $2.4 billion capital under management and has invested in more than 240 companies, completed 63 mergers and acquisitions, and brought over 50 companies public. The firm catalyzes the development of innovative mobile, Internet, CleanTech, networking, semiconductor, enterprise software and services, biotechnology and medical technologies to build next-generation market leaders. Canaan was an early investor in Acme Packet (APKT), Aperto Networks, BharatMatrimony.com, Blurb, DoubleClick (DCLK), ID Analytics, Match.com and SuccessFactors, along with dozens of other market-leading companies. Canaan is headquartered in Menlo Park, California and also has offices in Connecticut, India and Israel. For more information visit: www.canaan.com.

SVB India Capital Partners Fund and Silicon Valley Bank

SVB India Capital Partners Fund is a $54 million equity fund that is focused on Indian companies and co-invests across industries and stages with top-tier venture capital firms. Silicon Valley Bank is the premier commercial bank for emerging, growth and mature companies in the technology, life science, private equity and premium wine industries. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., the company serves clients around the world through 27 U.S. offices and five international operations. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of global financial services firm SVB Financial Group, with SVB Analytics, SVB Capital, SVB Global and SVB Private Client Services. More information on the company can be found at www.svb.com.

About iYogi

iYogi is the first direct-to-consumer and small business technical support service from India. Providing an annual unlimited subscription to technical support for $119.99 per year, iYogi now boasts more than 50,000 customers. The company employs 450 professionals servicing customers in the U.S., U.K., Canada fast expanding to 12 new geographies across the globe. iYogi’s resolution rate of 87 percent and customer satisfaction rate of 93 percent are amongst the highest published benchmarks in the industry. For further information, please visit www.iyogi.net.

SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. iYogi shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries.
All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.



Contact:


Company Name:
iYogi Technical Services Pvt Ltd

Address:
iYogi Inc.
12 Desbrosses Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013

Toll Free no: 1-800-237-3901

Work Number: 1-212-229-0901

F ax Number: 1-888-867-2715

ESET Breaks Records by Winning 50th Virus Bulletin Award for Security Excellence

SET Breaks Records by Winning 50th Virus Bulletin Award for Security Excellence
Detects 100 Percent of Viruses, Worms and Bots with Zero False Positives
ADAOX Middle East, the regional business development centre of ESET NOD32 antivirus support, today announced that ESET®, the leader in proactive threat protection, has captured a record 50th VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, a widely-respected independent comparative testing group. ESET is the first company to reach the 50-award milestone.

“ESET is one of the best security products available in the world today. The company has invested a lot in research and development and delivered the most advanced proactive technology for combating threats, viruses, worms, bots and malware in a fast and easy-to-use product,” says Neo Neophytou, Managing Director at ADAOX Middle East. “By winning the VB 100 award for the 50th time, ESET has broken records. We are happy and proud to promote this award-winning product to all our customers across the Middle East.”

Virus Bulletin introduced its first VB100 award in 1998, and conducts several comparatives every year, rotating its platforms between Linux, Windows, Windows servers and Novell Netware. In order to display the VB100 logo, an antivirus product must meet two criteria: (1) Demonstrate it detects all "In-the-Wild" viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning; and, (2) Generate no false positives when scanning a set of clean files. Since the inception of VB100 awards in 1998, ESET's antivirus products boast a success rate of over 96 percent — the industry's highest. Most antivirus vendors have success ratios in the 50 – 75 percent range.

"With excellent detection and no false positive issues, ESET has stormed its way to a record 50th VB100 award," said John Hawes of Virus Bulletin. "The ESET installation process proved fast and efficient, and the command line scanner was a joy to operate."

"No other company can claim 50 VB100 awards, and we are very pleased to be the first," said Anton Zajac, CEO of ESET, LLC. "I want to personally thank our employees, and notably the research and development teams that continue to produce security software's most proactive, precise, lightweight and fast product."

ESET File Security for Linux — the subject of this month's testing — is powered by ThreatSense® technology, an advanced heuristics engine that enables proactive detection of malware not covered by even the most frequently updated signature-based products. Unlike traditional approaches, ESET solutions decode and analyze executable code in real-time, using an emulated environment. By allowing malware to execute in a secure virtual world, ESET is able to clearly differentiate between benign files and even the most sophisticated and cleverly-disguised malware.

Go for computer security and maintenance if you face any kind of security related problem with your computer.

http://www.foxriverantiques.com/

Source: http://www.albawaba.com/

Online computer support for Currency Trading Beginners - Forex

Currency trading is a platform where individuals speculate on the exchange rate between two currencies. Traders buy and sell currencies hoping to realize a profit. In order to succeed in currency trading you will need a source of accurate and timely information. You'll need to familiarize yourself with a whole new language.

When you start currency trading you'll learn what a market trend is and how it will affect your trading. Trends move up, down and sideways. There are also trend classifications within market trends. These classifications are intermediate, short-term and long-term trend. You'll learn how to look at and understand basic trend lines, which is the most valuable trading. You'll learn about channel lines and support levels.

When you enter currency trading you'll be able to make sales online computer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, unlike the Stock Market. Many online brokers offer commission free trading and you'll want to make sure that you have instant execution of your market orders.

A new addition to many currency trading online business sites is the ability to set up a free demo account. This is a good way to get practice about trading and learn about live quotes, charts and streaming news before you start investing with real money.

When you set up your demo account it's a good time to test the software that the company offers. If you don't like the software program, contact the company and see how similar it is to the software program you would get if you signed a contract with them. If you don't like the software program try another broker. Also, decide if you want web based or client based software. Web based software is housed on your brokers website, you won't have to install any software onto your computer. A web based software program will allow you to log in from any computer that has an internet connection. Client based software is loaded onto your computer, and can only be accessed from that computer, potentially limiting your usage.

Another thing you'll want to check before choosing an online broker is how quickly they respond to your need for help. Seeing how quickly they respond to your questions could be key in how they respond to customer needs. If you don't get a speedy and accurate reply you may not want to trust them with your business.

You'll need to have high speed internet connection in order to succeed in currency trading with online computer support . The currency trading market is a fast moving one and dial up internet access will not work well for this. Another consideration could be the location of the servers used by your broker. If your broker's servers are located quite a distance from you, say in another country, this could potentially slow down your transmissions.

Take you time and investigate online brokers. Talk with friends and family about their dealings with online brokers. Take time and do a thorough evaluation of your options before you trust anyone with your money.

Source : http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6539441914396355842

The Need To Uninstall A Symantec Antivirus

May 12, 2008 - With the numerous types and classifications of virus and spam these days, there is indeed a need to install antivirus software in your computer. If you are quite familiar with the antivirus installation process, you should know by now that one of the best protection software you could purchase and install is Symantec. Thus, it is also natural that there are many new units of computer products that are already installed with Symantec OEM software.

Many users of the Symantec OEM software could attest that indeed, the computer program is one of the most useful there are in the market. For sure, you have encountered Symantec OEM software at one point in your life, especially during the times when you were so anxious and worrisome over the spread of some notorious virus. Symantec OEM software has made its way to become among the most popular antivirus support services to secure your computer program available in the market.

Problems with updating

Symantec, the company behind the development and distribution of the software, admits that there are several loopholes and limitations to the use of the popular Symantec OEM software. One of the most usual problems is the difficulties and shortages in regular updating. If you have been using other antivirus and protection software, you should be exposed to the updating process, which regularly happens and initiates especially upon exposure and connection to the Internet.

Though there are new and more sophisticated versions of the Symantec OEM software, the old versions are definitely having problems with the regular update processes. Those old versions are not updating themselves. Because everyday, there are more additional and new viruses and threats circulating in the cyber space, there is a need for updates on antivirus software. That is the disadvantage of buying and installing older Symantec OEM software versions.

The need to uninstall

Because of the problem in the updating process, there is often a need to uninstall the old version of the Symantec OEM software. If you are aiming to install a newer version of the computer program, there is a need to remove the installed copy in your PC system. However, if you are trying to do so, you would find that the procedure is not an easy one.

Thus, there is a need for computer users of the Symantec OEM software to learn the process of correct and proper uninstallation of the program. The uninstall process is not as easy and convenient as the process of antivirus installation. If you would take time, you would find that it is also possible to uninstall a Symantec OEM software remotely.

The simple process

Manual uninstallation is as easy as opening a Website designated to carry out and facilitate the process. Log in to the uninstall registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\ WINDOWS\CURRENT VERSION\UNINSTALL and see for yourself how the process can be made easier, more effective and more accurate. There would be dialog boxes that would appear afterwards. Just go with the flow and resolve to uninstall, no matter what.

The process would also involve some reboot. There are passwords to be asked, so just provide the requirements. If you could not remember any of the passwords asked, just log in to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\ VirusProtect6\CurrentVersion\AdministratorOnly\Security and see how the process can be pursued. Set the passwords to ‘zero’. In a matter of several minutes, you would find yourself finally going to the path to uninstall the computer program.

source : http://www.pressemeldungen.at/29317/the-need-to-uninstall-a-symantec-oem-software/

Footy team scales-up anitvirus security

Rugby League fans, regardless of affiliation, tend to revere the Wests Tigers football club for its history. The product of a merger in 2000 of two of Sydney’s oldest Rugby League teams – the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies – the club’s IT requirements have evolved in recent years, leading management to seek the assistance of a reseller to optimize computer security of its network.

Based at Concord Oval in Sydney’s inner west, the club has 35 full time employees in administration and marketing in addition to players, coaching and support staff. When the decision was made to overhaul the IT security infrastructure, Wests Tigers recruited Partner IT – a Sydney and Illawarra region IT services firm – to deliver a messaging security solution to protect the network from traditional threats such as viruses, spam and spyware, as well as emerging threats such as rootkits and bots.

On the recommendation of Partner IT, Wests Tigers upgraded from an existing Symantec solution to Trend Micro Client Server Messaging Security for SMB (CSM for SMB), a single, all-in-one multi-layer solution. According to Partner IT, the security application is designed to protect all system files and data on the network, including company wide documents, spreadsheets and accounting system.

“We decided to migrate to Trend Micro on the recommendation from Partner IT. After their initial audit we were concerned by their findings that only 60 percent of our machines were protected and the majority were out of date on definitions,” said Kirsty Halfnights, account executive at West Tigers Rugby League Football Club.

“By allowing Partner IT to take ownership of our site via a managed services partnership it allowed for regular reporting and monitoring to ensure that we are safe and all of our machines were being monitored.”

According to Halfnights, Partner IT was recommended by a Wests Tigers staff member. She added that the club was pleased to find an IT company that takes ownership of customer sites, regardless of whether they have supplied the network equipment or not.

“This ensures that we can focus on our business and not IT to complete our work in an efficient manner,” she said.

Its relationship with IT brands including Trend Micro, Partner IT focuses on providing start-to-finish IT solutions for local SMBs. Following an initial audit of the Wests Tigers network, the reseller discovered an “unmanaged” antivirus installation application and only 60 percent of computers had the program actively installed.

source: crn.com.au/Handbooks/FeatureStory.aspx?CIaFID=4439

Norton antivirus 360 Version 2.0

Norton 360 Version 2.0 is the updated incarnation of Symantec's comprehensive, one-touch security software released last year. It covers an array of common security threats (with the exception of bots) and adds new components for system tune-up, file backup, and disk defragmentation. If you prefer the set-it-and-forget-it approach to PC protection, Norton 360 is a fine choice.

The initial antivirus installation was straightforward and pain-free. It recognized a previous anitvirus installation of Norton Internet Security and dutifully uninstalled it before proceeding. You have the option of running a quick scan before the antivirus installation begins. Most of the capabilities are included in this initial installation, though parental control, antispam, and features that block your confidential information blocking from hackers are available only through a free add-on pack you download and install separately.

Following the antivirus installation, we ran a comprehensive scan, which included a virus and spyware scan, a browser settings check, a network address check, deletion of temporary browser and Windows files, and disk defragmentation. That's when we encountered a snag: Norton 360 refused to defragment our hard drive because it didn't have at least 15 percent free space available. Otherwise, the comprehensive scan went off without a hitch.

As is common with antivirus and security applications, you can set up a schedule to automatically perform full background scans. With this latest version, Norton 360 is smart enough to see if a laptop computer is on battery power and postpone any scheduled background tasks that might sap your battery. It also monitors your Internet connection and throttles back the bandwidth, if necessary, when you're performing an online backup. Symantec provides 2GB of online storage in conjunction with the new backup feature, which defaults to backing up your photos, music, contacts, e-mail, browser bookmarks, and financial documents (most users of this feature will clearly need to subscribe to more storage space). Other backup destinations include hard drives, Blu-ray discs, HD DVDs, and iPods.

While novice users will likely stick with the default settings, Symantec has added two screens to this version to give more-adventurous users deeper access into the application: Tasks and Settings. Tasks lets you manually run scans and even choose to a limited degree what to scan for. You can view statistics on how many viruses have been blocked or how many suspicious network addresses were fixed. You can also manually back up and restore your files from this screen. The Settings screen is where you configure Norton 360. You might decide to turn off Eavesdropping Protection, which looks for suspicious programs that could attempt to steal your personal information. Or you might turn on the Backup Status indicators, which alter your document icons to show which files are backed up, which are waiting to be backed up, and which are excluded from being backed up.

Other new features include a two-way firewall that attempts to detect malware and spyware based on its behavior. Norton Identity Safe, another addition, helps protect your passwords against key-logging programs. Also, phishing protection now works with Firefox, as well as with Internet Explorer.

Why choose Norton 360 Version 2.0 over Norton Internet Security 2008? While Norton Internet Security is less expensive (the three-user pack is $69.99 versus $79.99 for Norton 360) and offers more customization options, it lacks Norton 360's tune-up, defragmentation, and backup capabilities. Norton 360 is also less intrusive than Norton Internet Security; by default, Norton 360 is more likely to fix a problem without requiring your approval. For that reason, it's a better pick for computer novices than other security threat applications. If you prefer not to know what almost ate your yearly report, but you want to feel reasonably sure you'll be protected, Norton 360 Version 2 is a good choice.

Go for antispyware support services common among computer enthusiasts if you face any kind of computer related problem.

Source :computershopper.com/reviews/norton-360-version-20-review

Anti Virus installation help desk

People often ask me whether I miss my former life as a bond trader. When this happens, I let my mind flutter back to the old days: to the surge in my bank account at bonus time, to the success and satisfaction I felt in the working world, to cocktails with colleagues, to a closet full of designer clothing — that fit. Then I do my best beatific smile and talk about how rewarding it is to be home with my children.

And I mean it. I was ready to give up my old life when my son arrived. It was a conscious — albeit hormone-soaked — decision to leave that lifestyle behind. Now, not having yelled "You're done!" into a telephone for many years, I believe that I've adjusted pretty well to life minus the corporate shield. I've broken on through to the other side.

There were, however, certain aspects of my former life that didn't enter my postpartum calculation. These lower-level goodies were so seductive — and ingrained — that I had stopped noticing them. I didn't contemplate their absence because I no longer appreciated their presence.

These days, there is just one blessed, undervalued perk that still haunts my dreams. I long for it and fantasize about it. When I read " Cinderella" to my daughter, I know what I would ask of my fairy godmother. I would ask for a direct phone line to the computer help desk.

Those guys were so great. They had a snappy phone extension that was easy to remember and simple to dial. Trembling with fury over lost work, or fingers frozen in fear over a mistake I suspected but was unable to check, I would somehow manage to tap out the SOS. Just hearing the call go through helped me breathe.

In the early days of our relationship, the fix was often an embarrassingly simple need to reboot. In the case of an actual problem, the best case was when they could fix it remotely or walk me through the steps to fix it myself. Sometimes someone had to come upstairs to the trading floor and sit at my desk to update an application or examine a problem. That always made me feel strangely vindicated, like the hypochondriac who turns out to be sick. There were times when the issue was bigger than both of us, and they'd have to cart out the broken box and bring in a new one.

Occasionally the culprit would be a system error, the computer equivalent of an Act of God. I never really understood what that entailed for the help desk or how hard they had to work to resolve it. From my solipsistic vantage point, it meant three things: that I hadn't caused it, that my manager would understand, and that I had enough time for a Starbucks run.

Sometimes they were too busy to help me in my hour of need. Though I never coerced my customers, I pulled out all the stops when it came to the computer help desk. I cajoled, I begged, I wept. I asked after wives and children. I sent my fear and worry hurtling through the telephone wire. In market parlance, I sucked up — large. And the joy and relief that washed over me when they let me jump the queue, agreeing to make my problem theirs, was a better high than I got from a vente latte.

Cut to me at home, years later, in my annual session of purgatory, trying to install new antivirus software. The website won't accept my credit card, undoubtedly a result of the dust-up from last year, when I inadvertently bought the update three times and had to get the charges reversed. When I am finally able to make the purchase, I have trouble with the download. There are no humans to help me, only frequently asked questions that don't pertain to my problem. I wait and wait to speak to someone in India.

When I do manage the download and begin the antivirus installation, it won't install until the old version is uninstalled. I learn that "remove" and "uninstall" are not synonymous; the former merely hides the program so you have less chance of doing the latter. When I eventually do uninstall, I can't eradicate the old version, which has apparently infiltrated at the molecular level. I try the download again, hoping to let bygones be bygones. I call Bombay back and explain the problem all over again to someone with the same name as the first guy who claims to be a different person. I am caught in an infinite loop.

Here at home I can gnash my teeth or rend my garments. I can cry, curse, howl or bang my head against the wall. When I'm through, it's still just me, my computer and my frustration, locked in a death spiral. I can't even throw the thing out because I don't know how to erase my information from the hard drive. In space, no one can hear you scream.

Or so I thought. I turn to see my children watching me, slack-jawed. My tantrum has surpassed their video for entertainment value. I smile warily and take a deep breath — part of my brain notes that I've finally found a use for my Lamaze breathing — as they stare me down. The injustice seems too much to bear: Not only do I have to live without the computer help and support desk, but I also have to do it in front of two innocent sponges whose character education is my responsibility. I cast about for a way to salvage the situation.

Source : http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-essay0406.artapr06,0,6229672.story

Kaspersky Lab Delivers First Anti-Malware , Anti-virus

Kaspersky Lab a leading developer of solutions that protect against all forms of malcious software today announced that is the first to earn a Windows Server 2008 software certification. Windows Server 2008 certification guarantees that Kaspersky antivirus for Windows Server Enterprise Edition is fully compatible with this platform and provides the highest level of integration with its technologies.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows Server Enterprise Edition helps businesses protect data on servers running under the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems (including x64 versions) from all types of malware. The product was designed specifically for corporate servers that experience heavy loads, and can be installed and used in networks of any size. Its reliability and effectiveness, combined with high performance and flexible administration, provide a unique level of protection for corporate servers running on the Windows Server platform.

"Microsoft is very pleased that Kaspersky Lab is a leading innovator, developing solutions that take advantage of the advanced security and core functionality of Windows Server 2008," said Steve Bell, senior product manager of Windows Server marketing at Microsoft. "By certifying its anti-virus solution, Kaspersky Lab is helping customers deploy their solutions on Windows Server 2008 with confidence."

Kaspersky antivirus support for Windows Server Enterprise Edition supports the Server Core installation mode and utilizes new and advanced Windows Server 2008 technologies such as Terminal Services, Remote Applications and Terminal Services Gateway, allowing for further optimization of malware scanning processes.

"Today Windows Server 2003 is the most popular operating system for servers in the world. We believe that Windows Server 2008 will eventually surpass its predecessor and become the new common standard for corporate servers," said Alexey Kalgin, deputy product marketing director at Kaspersky Lab. "We are proud that we are the first IT security company in the world to offer its clients a solution which is certified for Windows Server 2008."

Windows Server 2008 software certification consists of approximately 100 tests that independently confirm an application's compliance with best practices for compatibility, security, reliability, and availability on the new platform, while ensuring the software performs in a 64-bit environment. The certification identifies top-performing technologies that are ready to deploy in mission-critical environments. Details about Windows Server 2008 software certification, its test framework.

About Kaspersky Lab:

The world's most immediate protection against IT security threats, including viruses, spyware, crimeware, hackers, phishing and spam. Kaspersky Lab products provide superior detection rates and the industry's fastest outbreak response time for large enterprises, SMBs, home users and the mobile computing environment. Kaspersky® technology is also used worldwide inside the products and services of more than 100 of the industry's leading IT security solution providers. the latest on antivirus, how to have an effective antivirus installation, anti-spam and other IT security issues and trends.

source: http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=83525&Itemid=9

New Tool Protects You From Antivirus Gone Wild

FEBRUARY 26, 2008 German security firm has released a security tool that protects antivirus tools from being abused by malware. N.runs built the product after discovering flaws in the parser engines of antivirus and host-based IDS/IPS scanners that could cause these server-based tools to “turn” on their users.

The new Application Protection System Anti-Virus (aps-AV) system sits in front of the email and AV servers. “Aps-AV has been developed and conceived for the special security requirements of large enterprises and government-related contractors or organizations. [But it’s also for] anybody that needs a high level of computer security and maintenance and protection from zero-day” threats, says Thierry Zoller, security engineer for n.runs.

Zoller and Sergio Alvarez, head of research at n.runs, last year discovered hundreds of cases of two types of parser engine bugs in security scanners -- one that let attackers sneak malware past these security tools, and a code execution bug that can read and send email from a victim’s email server to open a backdoor into the network. The vulnerabilities also left the door open for denial-of-service attacks, and for AV tools to help execute malicious code.

The problem with these little-known parser flaws is that they make a layered, defense-in-depth strategy backfire on an organization, Zoller says. N.runs’s aps-AV is aimed at plugging those holes in the email and AV infrastructure, he says, and uses an organization’s existing AV tools. But aps-AV takes potentially malicious data offline to a secure environment for inspection or analysis. That stops parsing attacks from occurring, according to n.runs.

source : http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=146955

AVG Antivirus 8

Installation
We were able to download and install AVG Anti-Virus 8 on a Dell XPS machine running Windows XP SP2 with no difficulty and without rebooting. If you are upgrading from a previous version of AVG, you must uninstall that version first before installing version 8.0. AVG. While installing, AVG asks one critical question: do you want to install the security toolbar? Since it's hard to say whether you want that, we recommend saying no. Although AVG recommends installation, we found that it installs a prominent search box with Yahoo as the default search engine, and little else. Even without the toolbar, we were still able to use the Linkscanner technology.

After installation, AVG walks you through seven steps:

1. Screen one merely describes the wizard
2. Screen two asks how often AVG should update itself
3. Screen three asks if you want to report compromised Web sites to AVG
4. Screen four asks if you want to use the Yahoo search as your Internet browser default (this is the second time you asked to adopt the Yahoo search engine; if you installed the security toolbar, you'll already have Yahoo on your browser via the toolbar)
5. Screens five and six lets you to download updates
6. The seventh step tells you that the seven-step process you've completed is just the first part.

We do not like the interface in AVG Anti-Virus 8. Although it is an improvement over the previous design, the right windowpane is too crowded with large icons. There are nine icons in all. Below each is a statement telling you if that feature is active. Clicking an icon will run either access additional information about that tool or run that specific scan.

The left windowpane includes only three options, Overview (the icon view in the right hand window), Computer Scanner, and Update Now. Computer Scanner has but one option, scan all. Update Now is equally opaque, mysteriously searching and downing something onto your PC.

A toolbar above these windows contains the advanced feature options.

Should you wish to remove AVG Anti-Virus 8, there is a removal option under All Programs. After a reboot, we found a handful of registry entries related to the free trial, and some empty directories in our system directory.

Windows Vista SP1 Blocks Antivirus Programs

A major update to Microsoft ( Windows Vista operating system could leave computers vulnerable to hackers and malware as the service pack prevents several widely used antivirus programs from operating, the company said.

The list of security products that Windows Vista Service Pack 1 blocks includes Zone Alarm Security Suite 7.1, Trend Micro Internet Security 2008, and BitDefender 10. It also blocks the 2008 version of the Jiangmin antivirus product.

Microsoft said the blocks occur because the antivirus programs are not compatible with Vista SP1. "For reliability reasons, Microsoft blocks these programs from starting after you install Windows Vista SP1," the company said in a statement on its support Web site.

Microsoft also said Vista SP1 prevents a small number of other programs from working properly, including Novell's ZCM Agent and The New York Times reader software.

It's not the first glitch for Windows Vista SP1. Microsoft earlier this week a file that's a prerequisite to installing the service pack. The company said the file, known simply as KB937287, can cause host computers to enter an endless cycle of boots and reboots.

Also, Microsoft has delayed widespread distribution of Vista SP1 computer help until it can resolve compatibility issues with some software drivers that control PC peripherals such as mice, keyboards, and printers.

As a result, Vista SP1 won't be available as a manual download until mid-March on Windows Update. Even then, installation will be rejected on PCs with the problem drivers. Affected users who want to access the software regardless will be able to download it directly from Microsoft.com.

Microsoft will automatically push Windows Vista SP1 Computer Help to customers who have signed up for automated downloads from Windows Update starting in mid-April. Again, however, PCs that are using the incompatible drivers will be blocked from receiving it.

Windows Vista SP1 includes more than 300 hot fixes for the operating system, which Microsoft launched a year ago.

Among them: a fix for a problem in which optical disks turn blank after being formatted with Vista's Live File System; a patch for a glitch that generates an error message when large files are copied from one Vista-based computer to another over a network; and an update designed to improve Vista's speed when its operating on a computer linked to a virtual private network.