CA Integrates Its Protection Suites

Last June, Computer Associates (CA) announced its line of Protection Suites, software packages designed to make it easier for small businesses to protect their data. Today, the company announced release two of the suites. The software within the suites remains the same; what’s new is an integrated management interface for all five products and a simplified installation process.

Each suite includes software that protects your computers from viruses and spyware, helps you manage data backups and restores and facilitates desktop migration — the transfer of data and individual preferences from outdated computers to new PCs.

All five suites include the following software programs: eTrust Antivirus, BrightStor ARCserve for backup and data restore functions, eTrust PestPatrol Anti-Spyware and Desktop DNA Migrator.

The suites come in five distinct flavors:

• CA Desktop Protection Suite for protecting data on desktops and laptops
  
• CA Server Protection Suite for protecting centrally stored and managed data — i.e., servers
  
• CA Business Protection Suite for protecting data on both servers and desktops
  
• CA Business Protection Suite for Microsoft Small Business Server Standard Edition for SMBs using or planning to use the standard edition of Microsoft’s Small Business Server
  
• CA Business Protection Suite for Microsoft Small Business Server Premium Edition for SMBs using or planning to use the premium edition of Microsoft’s Small Business Server

According to Gary McGuire, CA’s vice president of product management and marketing, the new Web-based management console will let small business owners manage their data protection tasks, policies and reports from one central location. “In the first release you had to install and manage each software component separately,” he said. “Release two simplifies that entire process. You get one CD that installs all the software and makes the setup and configuration easier to manage. And the control console makes it much easier to see and manage anti-virus, anti-spyware, data backup and data migration tasks.”

CA customers who bought a Protection Suite (release one) will receive a free upgrade. McGuire said that the company is contacting customers by phone or e-mail and that each customer will receive a software CD and an activation key. “They just need to install the CD over their existing Protection Suite to get the upgrade,” said McGuire. He added that the upgrade would maintain any settings customers had originally configured. “We value our customers, and we want to provide them with the best service possible,” McGuire said.

Pricing: The cost of the Protection Suites remains the same, with prices ranging from $325 to $1,099 for a five-seat license.

Lauren Simonds is the managing editor of SmallBusinessComputing.com