VSSC Distribution has recently introduced the award-winning ESET NOD32 Antivirus version 2.7 to the Philippines. The software was launched abroad a few months earlier than the new Microsoft Windows Vista operating system but is fully compatible with it and with all earlier versions of Windows.

Ciriaco "Jun" B. Santos Jr., founder and president of Valueline Systems and Solutions Corporation (VSSC). said "VSSC is the sole distributor of NOD32 in the country.

NOD32 is already becoming well-known among the tech-savvy professionals and gamers but we hope to make it more popular among the regular business and home users."

ESET, based in Coronado, California, announced that ESET NOD32 has been named the the overall best antivirus product of 2006 by the independent testing group AV-Comparatives.org. Of 16 antivirus products tested, it earned the top rank in proactive on-demand detection and on-demand scanning speed. The two most critical qualities of an antivirus system are virus detection and scanning rate.

NOD32 v2.7 utilizes ThreatSense technology, a sophisticated detection system based on advanced heuristics, to proactively identify

previously in real-time. The system is built into NOD32's unified scanning engine so users won't need to rely on additional point solutions for spyware and adware protection.

Maros Mozola, senior vice president of ESET explained that antivirus security is necessary but it is intrusive. It slows down usage and productivity of other systems and generates cryptic alerts or messages that most people can't understand.

Proactive detection using advanced and passive heuristics is needed because a new threat could mutate rapidly and must be stopped immediately before it spreads. It usually takes from two to three hours before a virus signature sample is submitted to an antivirus are variants of previously existing viruses but rootkits have recently come out for the purpose of hiding and disguising malware. This makes them harder to detect unknown viruses even without the need for signature upgrades," he added.

Rick Moi, ESET's vice president of marketing, announced "With security risks continuing to evolve and accelerate, it's important to have a proactive solution that doesn't incur unnecessary management overhead. NOD32 allows customers to focus on what's important to their business."