Ad-Aware was created to supply enhanced security from the following malicious threats to user privacy: tracking components; certain Browser hijackers, Malware, Dialers and Trojans; as well as from Scumware, Parasites, aggressive advertising, and Data-mining elements.



As a privacy tool, Ad-Aware can recognize these threats by looking through your computer's memory, registry, hard, removable and optical drives.

After scanning, it shows the results and asks if it can eliminate or quarantine these threats. The free version of this software can only scan and will not supply real-time protection.

This software is vital to corporate productivity and security due to the growing numbers of content threats.

Without this program, organizations face the risk of frustration on the part their employees, loss of productivity, network slowdowns, and even worse, lack of privacy or even legal liability threats.

The version called Ad-Aware SE Enterprise Edition 2005 is designed for use by IT administrators who

need a centrally managed anti-spyware program in the corporate setting.

It has two parts: the anti-spyware software Ad-Aware SE Professional Edition geared for network clients, and the Ad-Aware/Enterprise Console SE management tool Ad-Aware/Enterprise SE which can be used for

managing the clients.

It offers centralized management by IT administrators of an anti-spyware solution for network clients.

Behaviour-tracking spyware is halted thereby safeguarding user privacy.

It provides a shield against bandwidth stealing programs, thus improving the performance of computers.

Programs (like keyloggers)that may nab risky data online such as a user's credit card numbers or passwords are prevented from doing so.

The Code Sequence Identification Technology permits the user to keep up with developments in spyware. It also halts aggressive advertising by stopping pop-ups from cropping up.

Ad-Aware can weed out spyware programs functioning in memory, evaluate startup settings, halt browser hijackings, eliminate tracking cookies, and fix registry changes created by threatening

software.

It can also rub out hard-to-remove spyware by flagging it for deletion prior to loading during the succeeding bootup cycle.

The benefits of this software solution is that it is a notch higher as far as spyware protection is concerned, compared to most other products. Ad-Aware SE also boasts of an enhanced user interface superior to earlier versions.

The disadvantages of using this product is that its user interface can still be confusing to the average user. People who are well-versed in computers might find it more comfortable to use then.

Scans cannot be done to check for spyware through boot-up or on-demand scans without rendering your computer unavailable for other uses. Despite the inadequate customer support, this product is also considerably more expensive than other highly-rated solutions.

Another disadvantage is that the software's immunization function or real-time monitoring is

deemed to be less effective than other products.

Furthermore, it was hard to find and configure.

Also, its functionality to look for spyware in memory is considered to be quite limited.