AOL Offers PC Protection Package Jay Wrolstad, newsfactor.com http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060717/tc_nf/44683
(My comment: who's going to offer the consumer protection once they cancel AOL.. here's an example: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/internet/aol_cancel.html ) Internet portal AOL hopes to assuage the fears of its customers and other PC users facing a broad array of cyber threats and other technical problems with a combination security/computer troubleshooting service being launched today in a beta version. Dubbed Total Care, the offering will provide to home users the same type of protection enjoyed by most I.T. professionals, AOL spokesperson Andrew Weinstein said. "There is a lot of fear, and confusion among computer users today, and we can offer is a service that provides security and place to go keep a machine up and running properly. PC Health Care The Total Care packaged comprises anti-virus and anti-spyware applications, as well an Internet firewall -- all provided by security authority McAfee, and hard drive backup and remote PC backup features that use CDs, DVDs, or external drives for storing data. AOL also is offering technical support to PC users online, by phone, or through house calls (for a fee), Weinstein said. Anti-phishing and ID theft protection will be rolled out before the services goes public. "This is the most comprehensive PC protection package available to PC users, who are increasingly worried about security threats and who may need help solving their computing problems," said Weinstein. "What we are providing is a lot stronger than our customers currently receive." AOL members can get the beta version of the new product on the beta.aol.com site before it becomes a premium service that will be offered to both subscribers and non-members. The company has yet not set a price for Total Care, which looks a lot like the PC protection suites provided by Microsoft, McAfee, Symantec and others. "The difference is," said Weinstein, "that we are offering help in solving all of the computing problems," Keeping Customers Happy Anything that helps inform and safeguard consumers is a step in the right direction, Yankee Group analyst Jonathan Singer said. "The education level, when it comes to viruses, spyware and spam, is still pretty low. Vendors and ISPs can help reduce the confusion and make it easier to deal with threats." Singer suggested that Total Care represents an effort by AOL to stem the tide of defections among its customers to broadband DSL and cable providers. "They are losing their dial-up subscribers, and focusing on security is one way to retain their customer base while perhaps enticing other people to sign up," he said. "It does not appear to be markedly different than other products out there, but AOL has the marketing clout to sell easy access to a number of helpful applications and services," Singer said. He noted that Comcast also offers McAfee security software. All three of these services take a more comprehensive approach, adding PC tune-up tools to their security offerings. Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
