Hybrid cloud technology in the new avast! 7 will give all users streaming updates on new malware threats in addition to the regular virus database updates. “Instead of our clients having to ‘pull’ in the updates, we can ‘push’ it to them,” said Ondrej Vlcek, CTO of AVAST Software. “Once we have decided to publish an update, we can push it out to all of our users in minutes.”
According to the AV-Test, an independent testing agency, most free security products provide less than three virus updates on average daily , some with even less on the weekend. With the launch of avast! 7, AVAST Virus Lab will release around 20 updates daily and gradually ramp up the frequency as the infrastructure is built up.
“Our Virus Lab adds about 25,000 new virus signatures daily. Instead of waiting for an update two or three times a day, users will get streaming updates as new malware is discovered throughout the day,” stated Mr. Vlcek.
AVAST Software’s hybrid approach combines the strengths of both the “cloud’ and the traditional virus database update. With avast! 7, the streamed data accumulates on top of the regular database updates on users’ hard drives, keeping them protected regardless of their internet connection. Thanks to its restructured distribution network, AVAST is able to connect up to two million clients to a single server.
“This lets users get fresh information more frequently while still retaining a very up-to-date Plan B,” added Mr. Vlcek. “We believe this is a better design than a cloud-only system where the malware information is not stored and users have to be connected to remain protected.”
AVAST will continue the audio and pop-up announcements alongside the daily virus database updates. “These announcements are a distinctive feature of avast! There are lots of users that like the reassurance that their avast! has been updated and is working,” pointed out Mr. Vlcek. “Those that don’t can easily turn this off in the program settings.”
The new avast! 7 is coming and we would like to tell you about it. If you will be in San Francisco at the RSA Security Conference 2012, please join us on February 29th for dinner and a look under the hood of the new avast! 7.