ZA Pro vs. ZA Suite?

Am I correct in assuming the only difference is that ZA Suite offers anti-virus (in which anti-virus seems to only be so-so from what I read)? If so, I assume you can install ZA Suite without the anti-virus component? The reason I ask is that my ZA Pro trial is about to expire and at Comp USA, can get ZA Suite for $9.99 after rebates. I am not a big fan of rebates and still have to buck up an initial $70, but this sounds like it might be worth it as opposed to paying $50 for ZA Pro. The only thing that is puzzling though is that the CompUSA flyer says the ZA Suite is from AvanQuest, not Zonelabs. is AvanQuest a distributor?

Do I owe it to myself to try any other trial firewall software programs before committing to ZA? I am 90 percent sure I will commit to NOD32 as my anti-virus despite it's what I consider barbaric GUI.

 

ZA Suite has the AV and also some spam blocking features, a plugin for Outlook. So if you already have a favorite AV and don't need spam blocking then probably ZA Pro would be best. As far as I know those are the other 2 main additional features in Suite vs Pro. The Suite just attempts to give it all to you in one package.. The AV seemed 'ok' when I tried it. But it is probably not the best there is by any means.

 

Why don't use ZA Pro with NOD32 as this is what I do and have found the both to work well in conjunction with each other.

I think ZA Pro is an excellent FW and have been very happy with it no matter what others say.

I live here in Australia and ZA security suite had a very good write up, well really no matter what write up you read they are all different so who do you really believe. The AV in ZA SS is made by CA and uses the VET engine which really is a very good engine.

 

NO, you cannot install ZA Internet Security Suite(ZASS) without the AV. Therefore if you have a current AV that you wish to keep, you should not use ZASS, as you should not use two or more AVs on the same machine

Just to highlight the features of ZASS that are not included in ZA Pro. Firstly it has an AV which uses the VET engine from Computer Associates. Secondly it has Email Spam protection where the engine comes from MailFrontier. Thirdly it has ZL's Intant Messaging Protection Software: IMSecure Pro.

You can check for authorised resellers using this Zone Labs Locate a Reseller Form. All box versions of ZA(anything not bought from Zone labs Online Store) will be supported by Encore/Broderbund in the U.S. I normally advice people to buy ZA from Zone Labs online store because many people have not had good experinces with the support Encore provides. By buying from the store directly, your accounts and tech support will be directly supported by ZL.

 

I do want to use ZA Pro with NOD32. Because I can get a much better deal with ZA Suite, I wonder if you can install ZA Suite, excluding the anti-virus and get the equivalent of a ZA Pro install.

I am looking for some deals here. Despite the good reputation of both NOD and ZA, I don't want to have to pay $100 or more to install both on my PC. If I can't get both for cheaper then I think I will try other trialware programs such as perhaps the Trend-micro suite which seems to garner pretty good reviews. I was happy enough with NIS except it took forever to open programs.

 

I am using ZA suite, the AV module is installed, but this can be disabled on/ or after installation. I am currently using NOD32 as AV

 

Again, as I mentioned, you can't selectively install components of the ZA suite due to the way the program is build. If you wish to use NOD32, you should get ZA Pro, ZA Antispyware or ZA (free).

Although the ZoneAlarm's AV real-time protection can be turned off, you should never install 2 more more of any combo of AV on the same machine as they will conflict with each other. That's one of the golden rule of thumbs in computer security. I have seen many people who still get problems because they installed two or more AVs (even though they turned of the real-time protection of one AV).

 

Thanks for all the helpful insight and advice. I will not install ZA Suite in conjunction with NOD then.

 

It was the intention of ZL to allow the disabling of the AV to allow other AVs to be installed. ZA even checks for other AVs. I have been running ZAss first with KAV5 (8 weeks), and now NOD32 for the last 3 weeks with no problems. I to was under the impression that problems may accure with ZA by installing another AV, but my tests have proven (at least to me) otherwise.

 

While it amy seem so in your case, trust me when people with problems appear frequently on the ZA forum. You should also know that you should never install two or more AVs (of any combo) on the same computer because AVs burrow files deep into your system and even tough you may turn off the real-time protection, these files still work in the background to prevent viruses from infecting AVs and its these files that cause conflict with each other. If you ever need a second opinion, use am online antivirus scanner. There are many excellent choices out there to choose.

 

I know only too well the possibilities of conflicts between AVs (and even the remnants of one conflicting with the installation of another) I have tested many. I did, out of curiosity (as I will only have this setup for another few days) enable the AV within ZA, ZA then (via Services) loaded a driver "VET-REC" after which, I was warned by ZA that I had an AV installed, and that the ZA AV would be shut down untill I uninstalled the other AV.
I would not (and need not) run an online scanner, I would not DMZ any of my test PCs for this.
I believe you should actually run some test installations before condeming one.

 

You don't have to DMZ any PCs just to run an online scan (don't know where you got the idea).

Sorry but thats my stance on the whole AV issue. Its also the stance of the other contributors and gurus on the ZA board(who also use other AVs). In fact if anything I have been observing the trend of AVs digging much deeper into people's system just to protect themselves. The problems I see also increased. I don't think this will change anytime soon as virus also get tougher.

Let's keep this to topic. Its a firewall board and not an AV board.

 

Ah, jumping to conclusions, without even knowing my gateway managed switch/IDS setup.
Happy new year, to you and all.

 

Well I was going to wait until after the trial ended and see if I thought I could get by with the free version of ZA but I saw ZA Pro today at BJ's Warehouse for $29.95 so I couldn't resist. Also there is a $20 upgrade or competitor's rebate so I will use that as well. They also had ZA Suite at BJ's for $49.95 and a $30 upgrade or competitor's rebate.

Kind of strange. Was reading ZA's user opinions on Amazon.com and people either loved it or hated it, not much middle ground. It seems like a lot of people have problems such as their home network, not connecting to the internet, etc. I haven't had any problems that I'm aware of once I figured out how to get the anti-spyware definitions to update.

Now I'm hoping to find a really good deal on NOD32 but doubt it as it doesn't seem to be a mainstream retailer product at least in the big box stores around my area.

 

Hi geepondy,
Nice to see you got a good deal.
I dont use ZA apart from testing, but have never had any problems with installations or network problems.
Hope you get a good deal on Nod
All the best for the new year.