14 DAY TRIAL // Those system builders and administrators looking for a quick and easy way to purge all viruses from a system will no doubt be interested in learning that Hagiwara Sys-Com came up with a portable virus detection tool.
Typical anti-virus software is good for safeguarding office computers and the like, but they can't be deployed easily to different locations.
Some industrial computers also have the disadvantage of intermittent access to the web, or none, meaning that updating the virus definition database is a bit tricky.
Viruses were not that big an issue in the past, when industrial systems were purpose-built and had proprietary operating systems.
Now that the vast majority use a variation of the Windows OS, and off-the-shelf hardware configurations, vulnerability is, ironically, higher.
Hagiwara Sys-Com decided to provide a portable virus protection solution that, in addition to coping with the above limitations, doesn't affect product warranties.
Basically, it is an USB flash drive (Vaccine USB), onto which McAfee antivirus is loaded, and can be updated from any web-connected computer.
When inserted, the virus scan software is emulated as a CD ROM partition and activates automatically, something useful for industrial computers lacking a keyboard, mouse or even monitor.
It can be configured to 'scan only' and 'scan and remove,' while red LED lights indicate viruses (blue shows a clean system). Even a detailed log is saved on the flash drive, for view by technicians.
"We understand the customer's operational realities and designed the Vaccine USB to meet their requests," said Moto Watanabe, Product Manager of Hagiwara Sys-Com US.
"Our scan on demand Vaccine USB enables facility IT and floor employees to proactively identify and manage threats, allowing for early detection and minimizing possible damage. Innovative features such as no software installation, auto-run, and scan results displayed by LED make the Vaccine USB ideal for immediate virus monitoring for industrial applications."
Samples of the Vaccine USb should be possible to order via the official website.