While the name may be less familiar than Norton or McAfee, Russian developer Agnitum is just as revered in security circles.

The company is perhaps best known for its free firewall Outpost. Outpost Pro Security Suite 2008 combines the professional version with anti-virus, anti-spam and web-protection facilities.

Installation is straightforward but offers advice that may confuse some users. The package declares that a normal install can fail leak tests, while its Smartscan technology, which speeds up scans by caching data, is switched off by default due to 'false positives with root-kit detection'. We predict many puzzled looks.
The main interface is clearer, with key settings on the left-hand side, though anti-virus and anti-spyware options are listed under anti-malware.

The firewall takes pride of place. Rules can be automatically defined for popular programs and updated via the web, and a new Auto Learn function monitors usage to cut down on unnecessary alerts. Network activity and ports are easily monitored.

Outpost managed to stealth all ports during tests and thwart attempts to shut it down. Virus and spyware scanning also went well, with a full system scan of 40GB of data at 40 minutes.

The web control functions make it easy to protect sensitive information and block adverts or suspicious scripts. Those looking for parental controls or Wifi policing, however, will have to look elsewhere.

After uninstalling Outpost, we tried re-installing it and got an error on the main overview screen, though everything else worked. Switching off Vista's User Account Security fixed this. Despite this glitch, the suite provides an excellent way to protect and secure your system.