ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, has announced the launch of its new innovative and streamlined offering for South African consumers. With more than 30 years on the market, ESET has moved to unify its broadly deployed consumer product portfolio. Specifically, ESET is introducing three brand-new customer-centric subscription tiers, providing both broad and reliable digital life protection via new features such as Virtual Private Network (VPN) and a Browser Privacy & Security extension.
In a digital world, ESET is taking antivirus protection a step further with all-in-one protection for consumers. Considering just how much of our lives are spent online, the need to protect our identities and information has never been more important. Today, South Africans use their details and accounts for online money transfers, making purchases, or even setting up a company. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that impersonation fraud in South Africa increased 356% from 2022 to 2023.
As fraudsters’ appetites increase, so does public demand for reliable protection of their digital lives. As a progressive digital life protection vendor, ESET is cognisant of both the cybersecurity challenges and customers’ needs, says Carey van Vlaanderen, ESET Southern Africa CEO. “ESET is a global digital security company whose award-winning technology secures over one billion internet users and hundreds of thousands of businesses. We’re well aware of consumers’ need for user-friendly security solutions for their digital lives. A simple antivirus is simply not enough anymore. ESET’s HOME Security now offers multilayered security, privacy protection, and keeps safe devices and homes of our customers. With ESET, they’re not just protected; they’re empowered to explore, connect, and thrive securely.”
With a new and innovative subscription-based offering, ESET HOME is a complete security management platform with seamlessly integrated device protection, subscription management, and existing user flows.
ESET’s new three subscription tiers and their features
The launch features three subscription levels in the ESET HOME Security ecosystem: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. These tiers offer comprehensive protection ranging from basic to ultimate, meeting the varied privacy and security needs of individuals and families. ESET HOME Security is compatible with major operating systems including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
The entry level tier, ESET HOME Security Essential, provides crucial protection such as modern endpoint security that scans software before, during, and after its execution. Protection features encompass enhanced modern endpoint security and multilayered real-time protection, along with extra tools for comprehensive threat defence. Key features include Safe Banking & Browsing, safeguarding sensitive data, and Network Inspector, which assesses router security and displays connected devices. New browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox enhance Browser Privacy & Security, including a Browser Cleanup tool to regularly or on-demand clear cookies, history, and more.
The next tier up, ESET HOME Security Premium, incorporates additional functionalities such as Password Manager, which not only stores and protects users’ passwords and personal data but also includes a form completion feature that saves time by completing web forms automatically and accurately. In addition, the Secure Data functionality feature boosts users’ privacy and security with powerful encryption of files and removable media, preventing data theft in the event of USB or laptop loss, and ensuring secure collaboration and data sharing. The Premium tier also offers ESET LiveGuard, cloud-based protection specifically designed to mitigate never-before-seen threats by scanning suspicious samples in a safe ESET cloud sandbox.
Lastly, ESET HOME Security Ultimate presents complex all-in-one protection and introduces a brand-new ESET feature: VPN. This feature is also complemented by the browser extension functionality (Browser Privacy & Security), to ensure that the user’s browsing is protected. Additionally, Metadata Cleanup removes metadata from uploaded pictures to the browsers on Windows. Website Settings Review allows users to easily review and change permissions granted to websites.
Enhancing online security: Introducing VPN feature
ESET’s new VPN feature offers users a confidential internet experience by establishing a private network connection guaranteeing protection while using public Wi-Fi, and enforcing a strict no-logs policy to make it more difficult to track. It encrypts users’ online activities and enables unlimited bandwidth access to geo-restricted content, including unrestricted and private access to websites in more than 60 countries worldwide. Thanks to this feature, users can securely access their home countries’ TV shows and movies while traveling or enjoy their favourite streaming services from different parts of the world. Even more features are available on the VPN service running on desktops, including DNS leak protection, MAC spoofing, proxy gateway for other devices, firewall, and split tunneling. By adding a VPN on iOS, ESET is strengthening its presence on this platform, where Password Manager and ESET HOME are already established.
Van Vlaanderen concluded by saying: “We always adopt an unmatched, prevention-first approach to technology that marries artificial intelligence and human expertise. This new multilayered home security offering incorporates everything users need to defend against modern cyber threats both reactively and proactively. In other words, we don’t just stop breaches—we prevent them.”
