Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Project Report
on title
at
Submitted By
Gagan Gupta
(VIMS/2009-11/015)
Submitted to
Batch 2009-11
Max Secure Antivirus Pro 2010
Declaration
Date:
Place: Pune
Gagan Gupta
VIMS/2009-11/015
Acknowledgement
I would also like to thank and express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Vishal
(Sales Manager), Max Secure Antivirus, for his valuable guidance, help and support
without which this project would not have been a success.
Apart from the above I would like to thank Mr. Anand Vighe, Mr. Anand
Joshi, Ms Richa and other seniors for all the support they provided me during my
internship.
Gagan Gupta
VIMS/2009-11/015
Index
1 Executive Summary 6
7 Conclusion 37
8 Recommendation 38-41
9 Annexure 42-45
10 Bibliography 46
Executive Summary
Every business organization, big or small has its own sets of problems.
Sometimes they enjoy advantages over others; sometimes they also have to bear the
heat of the competition. They are not above the ups and downs of the business.
Max Secure Pvt. Ltd Pune launched the fastest antivirus in India named as
Max Secure Antivirus Pro 2010.
The study required a selected area of Pune Market. A detail dealer survey was
conducted to find out all the aspects of antivirus software market. The sales figures of
all companies were collected through the sampling of dealer. The various factors
responsible for sales and different activities carried out by the company, which pay a
pivotal role in antivirus software sales, were find out.
Another survey was conducted where antivirus software users from the IT
industry and manufacture sector industry were asked few questions to study their view
regarding the software features and sales activities.
Two different questionnaires for dealers and customers were made and direct
interviews were held to get first hand information. The data collected from the two
surveys were scientifically analyzed and conclusions were drawn. Based on these
conclusions and managerial theory we recommend a set of activities to be
implemented by Max Secure Antivirus Pvt. Ltd Pune.
Company Profile
Max Secure is a global software company developing products designed to
protect the privacy and security of windows computer users. The company creates
innovative Privacy, security, protection and performance solutions for Internet users.
Max Secure software has a strong technical team of qualified professionals and a
dedicated customer support team to cater to all the requirements of the customers.
Max Secure software founded in 2002 is a global provider of the world class
anti-spyware solution. It is the primary domain of security and privacy. The company
creates innovative privacy, security, protection and performance solution for internet
users.
Max Secure software drives on the basic emphasis of simplicity, integrity and
attitude in providing perfect solutions and total customer satisfaction.
Max Secure products assure you greater privacy, safer internet browsing,
improved system performance and faster browsing speed.
Max Secure has established partnerships with some of the world’s leading
media and Technology Company. New prospective partners are encouraged to
contact us to discuss potential opportunities with Max Secure.
Max Secure software would like to partner with individuals/ organization that
are eager to make commitments to sell world-class Anti-spyware and privacy
solutions.
As a Max Secure affiliate, you will enjoy a broad range of benefits including
rewards, tools and resources. These benefits are designed to speed up customer’s time
to market, lower the cost of doing business and identify new revenue streams that will
help you broaden your customer base and significantly increase your profitability.
Awards
Product Profile
Memory Scanner:
Now even before scanning customer’s PC, memory scanner takes care of
deadliest virus residing in customer’s memory.
Enhanced Detection;
We have state-of-the-art research lab and a large dedicated team of experts to
identify new threats.
Advanced Blocking:
Completely automated advanced features. It blocks ActiveX, host file, Browser
helper Objects and tracking cookies and many strategic registry and file locations.
Active Monitoring:
Complete peace of mind while browsing. Protects customer’s privacy and
provides security against malicious processes and homepage hijackers
USB Protection:
Protect customer’s PC from viruses executing on customer’s PC whenever you
connect an infected USB unknowingly.
System requirements:
The following minimum system requirements are needed to run Max Secure
Anti Virus:
Max Secure Anti Virus will operate on the following versions of Microsoft Windows:
Price:
Clicking on the Export Log button customer can send mail to our Research
team for review. It contains the scanned threat entries on customer’s PC and
few other file/registry entries which help our Research Team review issues on
customer’s PC.
Max Shield:
Max Shield is the Active Protection Shield that Max Secure Anti Virus provides
you. These options can also be disabled/ enabled by right clicking on the
system tray icon of Max Secure Anti Virus. Click on the Max Shield button on
the main Max Secure Anti Virus window to view this option. Various Live
Monitoring options are described below:
Max Secure Anti Virus provides you the Active Home Page Protection. If any
spyware tries to hijack customer’s home page, the Max Secure Anti Virus prompts
the message.
If you click on Yes, it will allow home page to be changed. If you click No, it
will prevent home page from being changed and thus protect customer’s home page
being hijacked. It is recommended that you keep IE Home Page Protection turned
ON.
With "Tracking Cookie protection" turned ON, whenever you open any
website that attempts to access the third party or tracking cookies, these tracking
cookies are deleted immediately. Thus the website(s) cannot access information
about customer’s system. This keeps customer’s browsing habits, IP address,
searches, preferences etc. private.
Process Monitor:
It notifies you with a message "Spyware exe killed". Thus leaving them
inactive. Live Process Monitoring also ensures that no Spyware get installed on
customer’s PC. It terminates any Spyware at the time of installation. If you set
Process Monitor to "Off", it may leave customer’s system vulnerable to infection by
spyware. It is recommended that you leave Process monitor always ON to keep
customer’s PC secure.
Host Files monitoring option blocks spyware from modifying host file and
also those sites which user wants to block. It also allows user to keep (block) or
unblock site when host file get modified by any user /non user event.
If this option is checked, Max Secure Anti Virus continuously monitors the
host file which blocks spyware from modifying host file and it will give notification
if notification check is ON.
If you set Host Files Monitor to "Off", it may leave customer’s system
vulnerable to re-infection by spyware. It is recommended that you leave Host Files
monitor always on.
Network Monitor:
This feature is available in Active Monitor as well as in Quick and Full Scan.
Note: This option is only for Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later version.
Some of the Spyware may change the file association of customer’s important
or confidential files so that you may not able to open and use that file and may also
cause vulnerabilities to customer’s PC. Max Secure Anti Virus monitors File
Association. If any program try to change File Association of any file then, Max
Secure Anti Virus prompts to user to allow it or not with "Yes" and "No" button on
the message window.
If user selects "Yes" it will be allowed and if selected "No" it will be blocked.
Max Secure Anti Virus will display message "Spyware File Association removed
successfully" if user selected "No" and also if Live monitoring is ON.
1. Disable/Enable Drives
4. Disable Search
5. Disable RUN
Spyware exploit these entries. If some program tries to change these settings
then Windows Restrictions monitor prompts the user whether he wants to allow
these changes. User can make a decision based on information available. To allow
changes click ‘Yes’ otherwise click ‘No’.
IE Restrictions Monitor:
If some program tries to change these settings then it asks the user whether
he wants to allow these changes. To allow changes click ‘Yes’ otherwise click ‘No’.
After scanning the PC with Max Secure Anti Virus, you can just go to the
Registry Fix / Hosts File tab present in the Options window and select all entries
or select the ones you want to fix and click on the Fix button to fix the entries and
these settings will be restored to how they are supposed to be when you first bought
a new PC.
All of the new settings will be default settings as set by customer’s Microsoft
Windows operating system. You will be able to go back and change any setting
manually without any problem. Max Secure Anti Virus will not block you from
changing any settings manually. This option is just supposed to rescue you when you
face difficulties with normal Windows and IE features on customer’s PC.
Exclude option:
We have provided a very useful option for the users who use some kind of
file sharing or P2P programs that is "Exclude" option. There is some software
which comes under the category of key logger or RAT (Remote Administrative
Tools) but people still use them, in that case we give the user the freedom to exclude
those entries or choose not to scan those entries at all.
Newly added Exclude Folder option will allow you to completely exclude
scanning of a folder so that data that you not want to be scanned by Max Secure
Anti Virus can be added from here. To start scanning this folder you will have to
remove it from this list.
These excluded folders, threats or particular entry will not be scanned the
next time onward. The excluded items can be scanned again if you later decide to do
so by clicking on the Recover button near this Exclude window.
Research Methodology
The design was formulated to be flexible so that changes can be adapted in the
execution of the research.
Care was taken to minimize the bias at every stage since any research work
made untrue information would turn out to be unreliable or worthless.
Effort has been taken to collect as many information as possible through the
questionnaires so that elaborate analysis can be carried thereafter.
The design was closely linked with the objectives set earlier, so that the essence
of the information collected and analyzed does not get diluted.
Primary Data:
Data required for the study is collected first hand from dealers, antivirus users,
from IT and Manufacturing sector.
Secondry Data:
1) Internal Sources-
Company records
Survey records
Yellow Pages
2) External Sources-
Web-Pages of organizations and journals
Newspapers
Magazines
Open-ended
Close-ended
Multiple Choices
Sampling:
The sample size for dealers was 120, and the sample for the customers was 80
individuals. Out of 80 individuals, 25 are IT Professionals, 35 Students and remaining
20 are normal persons.
The entire analysis of data was done with the aid of Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet programming.
Limitations
Nothing is perfect in this world. The last perfect person was crucified to the
across. This project is not an exception to this rule.
Others, 16
Avira, 53 Norton, 74
McAfee, 46
E-scan, 68
Net protector, 98
Sales
Sr. No. Brands In (%)
(in copies)
1 Norton 550 33
2 Quick Heal 600 36
3 E-scan 45 2
4 McAfee 62 4
5 AVG 23 1
6 Net protector 400 24
7 Avira 51 3
8 Others 15 1
Market Share
Norton Quick heal E-scan McAfee AVG Avira Net Protector Others
1%
23%
31%
3%
1%
4%
34%
3%
Weights
Reasons No. of Response
(In %)
Better Features 44 26.3
Low Price 18 10.7
Better Margin 24 14.3
Customer Demand 28 16.7
After Sales Services 48 28.7
Others 5 2.9
3%
26%
29%
11%
17%
14%
Brands Weight
I (6) II (5) III (4) IV (3) V (2) VI (1) Points
(%)
Norton 31 25 15 9 0 0 398 35.89
Avira 5 9 11 3 8 0 144 12.98
Quick Heal 19 17 8 7 0 0 252 22.72
E-scan 1 5 9 0 0 0 67 6.04
McAfee 3 1 12 7 0 0 92 8.30
AVG 2 3 5 2 0 0 53 4.78
Net protector 10 5 3 2 8 0 103 9.29
5%
9%
8% 36%
6%
23% 13%
Brands Weight
I (6) II (5) III (4) IV (3) V (2) VI (1) Points
(%)
Norton 29 23 17 7 3 0 384 30.4
Avira 4 19 10 5 0 0 174 13.7
Quick Heal 21 13 20 6 7 0 303 23.9
E-scan 1 3 8 2 1 0 61 4.8
McAfee 6 7 17 9 0 0 166 13.1
AVG 1 2 3 3 0 0 37 2.9
Net protector 17 6 0 2 0 0 138 10.9
3% 11%
30%
13%
5% 14%
24%
Brands Weight
I (6) II (5) III (4) IV (3) V (2) VI (1) Points
(%)
Norton 9 11 8 6 3 0 165 15.9
Avira 4 6 7 4 2 0 98 9.45
Quick Heal 27 25 14 12 0 0 379 36.5
E-scan 3 5 6 4 0 0 79 7.62
McAfee 7 4 7 5 0 0 105 10.1
AVG 1 5 3 1 0 0 46 4.4
Net protector 25 3 0 0 0 0 165 15.9
16% 16%
4%
9%
10%
8%
37%
5%
15%
33%
13%
20% 14%
5) Overall Satisfaction for the Max Secure Antivirus Software among Dealer:
Satisfaction level
Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor
3%
12%
49%
36%
18
16
14
12
10 01 to 10
8 10 to 50
6 50 to 100
4 100 to 250
2 250 Above
32 30
8 6 7
1 0
Desktop Servers
Head-
Source Dealer Company Internet Total
Office
No. of
43 22 9 6 80
respondents
8%
11%
54%
27%
Quick Net
Antivirus Norton McAfee AVG Avira Other
Heal protector
Excellent 12 4 3 3 0 2 3
Good 13 7 4 2 1 0 1
Satisfactory 9 5 1 2 2 0 1
Poor 3 1 1 0 0 0 0
Total 37 17 9 7 3 2 5
14
12
10
8 Excellent
Good
6
Satisfactory
4 Poor
0
Norton Quick Heal Net McAfee AVG Avira Other
Protector
Quick Net
Antivirus Norton McAfee AVG Avira Other
Heal protector
Product
27 7 9 5 4 3 3
Feature
Brand 9 5 4 2 2 2 1
Price 6 3 5 3 0 0 3
Technical
8 12 1 4 1 2 2
Support
Others 3 1 3 2
Avira 3 202
AVG 4 2 01
McAfee 5 2 3 4
Net Protector 9 4 5 1
Quick Heal 7 5 3 12
Norton 27 9 6 8
3% 0% 0%
45%
52%
Conclusions
The following conclusions are based on the findings from the analysis of data
collected through dealers and customers’ survey.
Many Computer users use the antivirus software but there is another class of
people who think that there is no necessity of the antivirus software, they don’t
consider the importance of these antivirus software.
Piracy of the software is the major problem in this field. People (mostly home
users) insist of pirated software, which they easily get from the market.
Quick Heal of course is a market player and leader in antivirus software, having
more than 34.4% market share followed by Norton, Net-protector and McAfee.
Product features are the most important factor for the antivirus software sales
followed by after sales services and prices.
Though Quick Heal is ranked second with respect to sales but a new antivirus
company Net-protector emerged so quickly in this market, within one year they
captured near about 22.9% market share.
As per finding, Net-protector mostly uses the quick Heal dealers for its
distribution by giving high margins and discounts. This company provides better
technical support so many dealer switches over to Net-protector or sale it along with
Quick Heal.
The popular perception among dealers and the customers is that Norton
antivirus provides the best product features and performance because of its strong
positioning and brand image created over a period of time.
People feel that Norton is highly priced followed by Quick Heal, Trend Micro,
Symantec and McAfee.
While a daily study of features of all brands and a feedback of Quick Heal users
suggested that Quick Heal has the very good product range than other antivirus
provider companies. As it is the second company in the world that provides antivirus
software for Linux operating system.
Due to above reasons dealers sell more copies of antivirus software. These
reasons are according to preference as after sales services, Product features, better
margins and customer demand.
Another area of concern is that many of the dealers think that product features
and promotional support are bottle-neck for Max Secure Antivirus.
Near about 56% of users responded that they purchase antivirus software from
dealer only and 28% said that they purchased it directly from the company and there
are very few users who purchase it from internet or get it from the Head-office.
Almost 52% of the users suggested that price of an antivirus software should
be less than Rs. 750/- for per license copy per year. Followed by that 45% of users
suggested that it should be in between Rs 750 to 1000/-.
1) All the activities required to improve Max Secure Antivirus sales need a lot of
money and effort. The first thing required is a dedicated and consistent effort
from the Top Management to boost up the morale of the sales force.
2) The biggest task is to increase the product feature of Max Secure Antivirus. For
that purpose it requires lot of research and development in computer
laboratory to improve product features. Developers must try to find out
maximum definitions of viruses so that product will be able to detect most of
the viruses.
4) Awareness for the Linux Antivirus should be created properly because the
Linux users think that none of the Virus will affect it, but now there are so
many viruses that can affect Linux also.
for the brand awareness of Quick Heal so that maximum people knows the
importance of antivirus software.
8) Max Secure should also take initiative for event sponsorships. Inter college
festivals, college and schools functions, sports and quiz contests should be
selectively sponsored by the company.
10) Dealer should be forced to display the antivirus product at the display counter,
as many of the dealers don’t do that.
11) As the market has already been swept away by Norton, more money needs to
pump to gain the dealers interest by increasing their margin so that they can
push the product in the market and dealer will not switch over to other’s
antivirus software because dealers are the major source from where customer
purchases mostly.
12) Product range of the Max Secure is good and many respondents are satisfied
from the software. This shows that it is really competitive in antivirus software
market.
13) Company should try to grab big corporate as a customer to increase its sales,
because these corporate purchase in bigger quantity, directly from the antivirus
provider companies.
14) Company must have tie-up with any computer hardware company like Norton
have with HP, so that the sales of product is definitely increase and it be
helpful to create brand awareness of Max Secure and the customer will repeat
same antivirus.
15) Company should arrange the training programs for the dealer and their sales-
force that they will come to know about all technical features like installation,
up-gradation etc, so that they will be able to handle the customers problems
properly.
16) Company should come out with some discount schemes like discount coupons
or scratch cards inside pack, discount on purchasing of specified quantity.
These schemes should not be repeated for more than once as it affects the
brand image of the company.
Annexure
Questionnaire for Dealers:
Name of Dealer :
Address :
Contact No. :
b) Avira ( )
c) Quick Heal ( )
d) McAfee ( )
e) AVG ( )
f) Net-Protector ( )
g) E-Scan ( )
h) Other (………….) ( )
7) Rank following brands of antivirus software according to Price and after sales
Service? (Rank between 1 to 5) Rank at least 3 of following:
a) Norton ( )
b) Avira ( )
c) Quick Heal ( )
d) McAfee ( )
e) AVG ( )
f) Net-Protector ( )
g) E-Scan ( )
h) Other (………….) ( )
Bibliography
Books:
Marketing Management
Philip Kotler
Thirteenth Edition
Websites:
www.maxsecureantivirus.com
www.maxPCsecure.com
www.scribd.com