The Total Care bundle, which will be available to AOL subscribers as well as to other consumers, in still in the testing phase and no formal pricing has been set.

As with Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare, released last week, and upcoming products from McAfee and Symantec, AOL's Total Care will feature traditional PC security tools, such as virus and spyware protection, along with computer tune-up applications.

Outside the Fold

AOL also is developing an application, called Active Security Monitor, that will scan computers on a home network for firewalls, virus protection, Windows updates, and wireless security, and will offer guidance on improving protection.

While not exactly a completely new move for AOL, which has been offering its subscribers the AOL Safety and Security Center for a few years, Total Care and Active Security Monitor are the first products the Internet service provider will make widely available to those outside the AOL fold.

"[AOL is] looking for additional revenue streams to compensate for their loss in dial-up customers," said Jonathan Singer, a Yankee Group analyst. "They are hoping that loyal customers who trust AOL and have liked their parental controls in the past will be amenable to buying a security suite from them."

Security AOL Style

Rather than develop the Total Care application by itself, AOL has partnered with an as-of-yet unnamed third party for help. McAfee is providing technology for at least one component of the suite.

Yankee Group's Singer said that with an estimated 81 percent of PC users surfing the Web without any sort of the recommended precautions, there is no such thing as too many vendors hawking security solutions.

Although the glut of security suites might temporarily cause a bit of confusion among less tech-savvy consumers, said Singer, the release of several major security bundles might serve as a wake-up call to unprotected users.

"I think many of us are hoping that a bunch of major security releases will be akin to a parent yelling at a child to clean his or her room," Singer said. "'Clean your room! No! Clean your room! No! Clean your room! Fine. Just leave me alone."