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Thursday 8th June 2006

AOL launches beta Active Security Monitor 10:46AM, Thursday 8th June 2006

AOL is joining the rush to release security products with the availability of a new diagnostics tool. The beta product, known as Active Security Monitor, runs a set of tests on your computer and gives a rating of the level of protection currently installed and what further measures need to be taken.

Among the areas tested are anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, firewall protection, wireless security, the operating system, web browser, back up software and PC optimisation. At the end, it offers a range of advice such as changing settings or updating software. At present, it does not recommend specific products that you should install although these

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are promised for the future.

The new tool is a component of a subscription based security suite called Total Care that AOL is rumoured to be preparing to launch as a beta in the coming weeks. The move is the latest in a strategic realignment of AOL as it moves away from becoming a pure ISP and towards providing products, services and content to the Internet community as a whole.

The security suite will be going up against the recently US-launched Microsoft OneCare subscription security service and the field is likely to become even more crowded in the coming months. Security firm McAfee is planning to launch 'Falcon', its code name for a set of security subscriptions while Symantec is planning its own security subscription service code named 'Genesis'.

The AOL tool is available at the AOL Beta Central website.

Steve Malone

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