Panda Security Celebrates Three Years of Collective Intelligence

ORLANDO, Fla., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, today announced the third anniversary of Collective Intelligence, its proprietary security system for automatically detecting and processing malware in the cloud. Since its debut in 2007, Collective Intelligence has analyzed over 100 million files, contributing to Panda's massive 2.4 terabyte database of user knowledge. The system leverages real-time intelligence from millions of Panda Security users to deliver instantaneous, non-intrusive protection against known and unknown malware. As the first company to introduce cloud-based security, Panda paved the way for the entire industry to rethink their own protection models with an eye on developing products that address today's dynamic threat climate. Panda's customers continue to benefit from protection that is one step ahead of the pack, with less impact on local server and desktop resources.

"55,000 new and unique strains of malware are generated every day," said Rick Carlson, president of U.S. Operations for Panda Security. "This immense volume requires incredible processing power and complex data analysis that simply cannot be done with traditional antivirus techniques that were the norm just a few years ago. We created Collective Intelligence to manage the exponential growth of malware, and have since built a range of solutions that leverage cloud computing to address the different needs of our customers and partners."

A History of Cloud Security Innovation

The first product to leverage Collective Intelligence was Panda ActiveScan, a free online scanner released in 2007 that allows consumers to determine if their PCs are infected by enabling a quick computer scan that is sent to the cloud for instantaneous malware detection. Today, every Panda customer across all product lines benefits from Collective Intelligence since their systems are protected against all known and unknown malware captured in its global cloud of user knowledge.

In 2008, Collective Intelligence was introduced to Panda Security's consumer security suites, extending its lead over every other vendor. In April 2009, Panda Security released the beta version of Panda Cloud Antivirus, the industry's first free cloud-based anti-virus software that protects consumers PCs against the latest malware, spyware, rootkits and viruses. Panda Cloud Antivirus has received recognition for its game-changing technology that preempted an industry-wide trend of bringing antivirus detection and remediation solutions to the cloud. Significant accolades include the coveted Editors' Choice Award from PCMag.com, #1 ranking for malware detection by AV-Test.org for PCWorld, and a 4-star ranking by CNET. Panda Cloud Antivirus was released out of beta in November 2009 and continues to grow in popularity among consumers.

For business users, Panda Security offers Panda Cloud Protection, the only cloud-based solution to protect businesses across the three major threat vectors - Web, email, and endpoints. Panda Cloud Protection's Web-based management console combined with the power of Collective Intelligence eliminate infrastructure costs and provide companies with instantaneous protection from all malware vulnerabilities, with minimal impact on PC and network performance.

Collective Intelligence by the Numbers

• More than 100 million files analyzed since 2007
• More than 20 million computers scanned since 2007
• More than 17 million data requests received from Panda users
• More than 75,000 new files processed daily
• Currently occupies 2.4TB  of intelligence and generates 190GB of logs every day
• Collective Intelligence detected that nearly half of computers scanned were infected with either active or latent malware. Of these, 55 percent had up-to-date antivirus software installed, underlining the real danger currently posed by Internet threats.
• Collective Intelligence has recorded 54 percent of PCs in the United States as infected with malware.

Panda Security invites all users to experience Collective Intelligence through its free services, Panda ActiveScan and Panda Cloud Antivirus. In addition to these free products, Panda Security is offering free trials of Panda Cloud Protection for business users for a limited time.  

About Panda Security

Founded in 1990, Panda Security is the world's leading provider of cloud-based security solutions with products available in more than 23 languages and millions of users located in 195 countries around the world. Panda Security was the first IT security company to harness the power of cloud computing with its Collective Intelligence technology. This innovative security model can automatically analyze and classify thousands of new malware samples per day, guaranteeing corporate customers and home users the most effective protection against Internet threats with minimum impact on PC performance. Panda Security has 56 offices throughout the globe with US headquarters in Florida and European headquarters in Spain.

Panda Security collaborates with Special Olympics, WWF and Invest for Children as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility policy.  

For more information, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

SOURCE Panda Security