Recently McAfee today released the results of a new global study of more than 3,000 consumers in 10 countries, revealing that consumers place an average value of $37,438 on the “digital assets” they own across multiple digital devices, yet more than a third lack protection across all of those devices. In the U.S., people valued their assets at a higher figure than anywhere else, at nearly $55,000.
Despite the high financial and emotional value of their assets stored in various places, 32 percent of the consumers who don’t use security protection on all of their devices still don’t think they need it. Respondents also cited cost as another reason why they are reluctant to purchase security protection for all of their gadgets (31 percent). However, 86 percent of people did agree that purchasing security protection was money well spent.
Other key findings from the survey include:
- Twenty-five percent of consumer Internet users now own at least five devices per household, with 60 percent owning at least three.
- Forty-one percent spend more than 20 hours per week using a digital device for personal use.
- Regionally, North American respondents (U.S. and Canada) had the highest perceived value of their total digital assets, with an average cited value of $52,154 ($54,722 in the U.S. alone). This is compared with an average value of $28,461 across Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands), $20,948 in Australia, and $23,938 in Japan.
- As a global average, respondents had 2,777 digital files stored on at least one digital device, at a total value of $37,438. These assets included: entertainment files (i.e. music downloads), personal memories (i.e. photographs), personal communications, (i.e. emails or notes), personal records (i.e. health, financial, insurance), career information (i.e. resumes, portfolios, cover letters, email contacts) and hobbies and creative projects. Twenty-seven percent of those assets were considered “impossible to restore” if lost and not backed up properly, and had an average value of $10,014.
- Personal memories, such as photographs, are the main digital asset that respondents categorized as “impossible to restore” if lost and not backed up (73 percent). Respondents valued personal memories at an average of $18,919, compared to: $6,956 for Personal Records, $3,798 for Career Information, $2,848 for Hobbies and Projects, $2,825 for Personal Communications, and $2,092 for Entertainment Files
- Despite the high value of their digital assets, people still aren’t securing every device they own. The McAfee survey found that more than a third of people (36 percent) don’t have security protection on all of their devices and seven percent have no protection at all – leaving potentially thousands of dollars worth of digital assets at risk, if stored on an unprotected device. Although 86 percent of respondents agreed that purchasing protection of their digital assets is money well spent; in general, less than 50 percent of respondents purchased security solutions as the main way of protecting all or some of their devices. Thirty-nine percent use only free protection on their devices (to protect some or all of them), with another 10 percent using a combination of paid and free solutions. However, when it comes to security software, free is not better. A September 2010 USA TODAY survey of 16 anti-virus companies shows that no-cost anti-virus programs generally lack important features such as a firewall, website health checks, and automatic updates. Cost is one of the main reasons people don’t purchase additional security protection (31 percent said this), but the leading factor was a perceived lack of need for such software (32 percent). Despite the evolving threats across devices like tablets, smartphones and Macs, and the high value of the files stored on these devices, 40 percent of all respondents do not worry much about their protection.
McAfee is addressing the growing digital needs of today’s consumers by launching McAfee All Access; the industry’s first cross-device security solution that protects multiple Internet-enabled devices (PCs, Macs, smartphones, netbooks and tablets) under one annual plan.
Responding to the study results, McAfee has launched McAfee All Access. Here’s some more info on that.
McAfee All Access is the industry’s first cross-device security solution for individuals and families that empowers them to protect their Internet-connected devices quickly, easily, and cost-effectively. McAfee® All Access is a new category of protection that enables consumers to secure smartphones, tablets, netbooks, PCs, and Macs with the optimal level of security protection for each device. Pricing for McAfee All Access is based on a single user or family user license, regardless of the number of devices they need to secure.
Consumer devices per household have exploded. Twenty-five percent of consumers globally have five or more digital devices and 60 percent own at least three, according to the McAfee Digital Assets Survey, released today. According to Forrester, in 2010, 79.3 million U.S. consumers owned three or more types of connected devices, and 4.5 million owned nine or more types of connected devices.
And consumers are more engaged than ever before: 41 percent of consumers spend more than 20 hours per week using their digital devices for personal activities.
“We’re excited to launch McAfee All Access today to meet increasing consumer demand for a single solution that safeguards users’ internet-connected devices and protects their digital lifestyles,” said Todd Gebhart, co-president of McAfee. “Users now have the protection they need without having to make buying decisions for each and every one of their devices—or go through the hassle of dealing with individual licenses each time they want to add or eliminate a device. From a simple, central console, McAfee All Access uses a single subscription, eliminating all complex licensing and management issues.”
McAfee All Access costs $99.99 for individuals and $149.99 for the household version. This represents a substantial cost-savings—as much as $200—when compared to the cost of individual security and data protection for multiple devices. Free lifetime support is also included.
From one console, McAfee All Access allows consumers and families to quickly install, activate and manage essential protection for data, Internet activities, computer systems, and kids:
· Protect Data – Backup and restore data on smartphones, tablets and PCs. Remotely locate, lock and wipe mobile devices. Misplaced smartphone at home? Make it “scream” to easily find it.
· Safeguard Internet Activities – Block risky sites. Safely share content. Protect email and IM.
· Secure Consumers’ Systems – Anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall protects against malware and hackers. Wireless Internet at home is also protected.
· Monitor Kids and Teens – Parents can supervise kids’ activities including Internet and social network use, or actively filter inappropriate content including YouTube videos and explicit music lyrics.
“Most consumer households now own a combination of PCs, Macs, and mobile devices, but haven’t kept up-to-date by adequately protecting all of them,” continued Gebhart.
As consumers become more aware of the threats to their connected devices and the need to protect them, cost and complexity often keep them from doing so. McAfee All Access changes that by providing around-the-clock, worry-free protection wherever users connect, and at a price point that makes sense in today’s multi-device world.”
McAfee All Access addresses today’s complex threat landscape and consumers’ most common security concerns:
Malware cost U.S. consumers $2.3 billion last year. (Source: Consumer Reports)
Two million new pieces of malware are discovered each month. (McAfee Q2 Threats Report)
Malware targeted at Android devices jumped 76 percent in the last 100 days. (McAfee Q2 Threats Report)
8,900 new malicious websites are found daily. (McAfee Q2 Threats Report)
Forty percent of US and UK consumers say losing their mobile devices would be worse than losing their wallets, and 82% fear that information on lost or stolen devices would be used for fraudulent means. (Source: Coleman Parkes Research, 2009)
Consumers value their digital assets at more than $37,000 worldwide with U.S. consumers valuing their assets at almost $55,000. (Source: McAfee Digital Assets Survey)
Essential Protection
McAfee All Access offers consumers the following categories of protection on today’s most popular devices.
Smartphones and tablets for Android, Symbian and Blackberry operating systems:
· Complete anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-phishing protection – scans and cleans malicious code from inbound and outbound emails, text messages, attachments, and files.
· Safe searching, browsing and shopping – blocks risky links within SMS, email and social networking sites.
· Locate and track – allows consumers to view their phone’s location on a map and send an SMS to prompt its return, as well as using its remote alarm to make it “scream” so it can be easily found.
· Remote lock and wipe features – prevents access to data, including that on memory (SIM) cards if the phone is lost.
· Backup and restore options – preserves personal information on-demand, on a schedule, or before users wipe their missing smartphone or tablet, and helps users restore data to a new device.
· Family protection (Android only) – ensures safe browsing on mobile devices and prevents kids’ and teens’ exposure to inappropriate content. (Available in English language version only)
Desktop, laptop and netbook PCs:
· Complete anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-phishing tools – analyzes and blocks new and emerging threats in real time.
· Two-way firewall – blocks hackers from accessing PCs.
· Anti-spam tools – provides comprehensive spam blocking and email filtering.
· Home network protection – safeguards wireless connections in the home and protects them from intruders.
· Safe searching, browsing and shopping protection – alerts users to risky websites, blocks phishing sites and sites infected with malware. It also allows users to easily and safely shorten and share web links via Facebook and Twitter.
· Family protection – blocks inappropriate content and programs, monitors social networking sites, offers parents age-based guidelines, monitors and records instant message conversations in addition to other features.
· PC tools – includes file encryption, data shredder to destroy sensitive files, PC optimization tools and online back-up.
Macs:
McAfee helps keep Mac users safe from intrusion by viruses, Trojans, worms, bots, and rootkits. Security essentials, such as a firewall and phishing protection also help keep Macs safe from attack, while website ratings help users determine if sites are safe or malicious.
To help safeguard kids and teens, McAfee All Access also includes family protection for Mac with features such as website blocking, usage monitoring and key word search filtering. (Family protection for Mac is offered in English language versions only)
Lifetime Support
McAfee All Access customers with an active subscription get free lifetime support via phone, email or chat.
McAfee All Access: Videos, Availability and Pricing
· The product is available for download immediately in the United States at www.mcafee.com/allaccess as an annual subscription:
o Individual user: $99.99 US annually
o Household (ideal for a family): $149.99 US annually
· McAfee All Access is available now in retail outlets in the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal and Japan.
The product is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or higher (32-bit), Windows Vista SP1 (32- and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), and Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.
MORE INFO
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About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com
WIN IT!
FIVE winners will each receive a McAfee All Access download code, value $99.99!
HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)
To enter leave a comment here telling me what your most valuable digital asset is AND how many devices you’d be securing if you won.
BONUS ENTRIES – LOTS OF THEM!
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1 – Visit one of my other blogs – From Val’s Kitchen, Val’s Views, Game Review Network and Living With Special Needs – and leave a comment on any post there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned there. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
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THE SMALL PRINT.
The winner will be selected using the “And the winner is” plugin. US addresses only please, no PO Boxes. This contest will end on Wednesday 10/19/11 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won. Good luck to everyone!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
