With the prevalence of Net connections and all the good things a connected society brings such as community, the ability to share ideas and the openness of information, comes the flipside of digital life -- hackers, spyware, viruses and spam.

Spam! spam! spam! spam! . . . if it had not been for Monty Python nobody would ever have thought there was anything funny about it. With almost 50 percent of the world’s email now junk mail, offering everything from unwanted penis extensions to stockmarket tips, spam has become as big a problem as viruses.

By sticking with the same intuitive management console, the latest version of Computer Associates' (CA) antivirus software remains notably easy to use, and has increased its coverage by adding new virus-scanning capabilities for PDAs, plug-ins for a variety of gateways, and protection options for Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes/Domino. You also get remote browser access and the option to designate secondary signature servers, which clients will use if the primary distribution server fails.

With less hand-holding and a greater feeling of control and configuration, Norton is definitely geared more towards the advanced user than McAfee. Although the interface is quite different, it's undoubtedly a more professional product.

With less hand-holding and a greater feeling of control and configuration, Norton is definitely geared more towards the advanced user than McAfee. Although the interface is quite different, it's undoubtedly a more professional product.