SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- CyberMedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: CYBR) announces that its upcoming Internet personal privacy and protection software (code name "CyberWall") will be sold by both traditional and Web-based software resellers on a subscription basis. Retail packaging will include the software itself and an initial one-year online update subscription at an anticipated US estimated street price well under $100.

The company's motivation for electing the subscription model lies in the need to consistently update key information. Its antivirus patterns, for example, will be updated every few weeks to keep up with the latest virus threats and permutations; likewise, its "black list" of "evil pages" (sites known to cheat, snoop on or otherwise threaten unwitting visitors) will get constant updates.

This also allows the software itself to evolve and improve, gaining new features and performance improvements at the same time as its data gets an update. The retail software becomes essentially "versionless", since the latest features are automatically installed every time its user clicks on its Update button.

Subscriptions also benefit CyberMedia, because they provide a later "annuity" income stream from current sales, at a much lower cost than the industry's customary upgrade sales promotions.

The ability to effortlessly update the software and its data builds on CyberMedia's Oil Change(TM) technology, and, like all CyberMedia products, takes advantage of the company's "Help Central" centralized information database on the Internet.

CyberMedia President and CEO Unni Warrier explains how this decision to follow the subscription model implies significant benefits for users. "With constant updates available via the Internet, users need never be concerned whether the package they bought is an old version or contains stale information. And there's never any question of whether or not this is yesterday's software trying to solve today's problems."

CyberMedia's mission is to empower computer users to fix computer problems on their own, before they need to call technical support hotlines for help. It is the leading supplier of automatic service and support solutions for PC users; the company's ActiveHelp, product line includes First Aid(R), Oil Change(TM), Uninstaller(TM) and the Tech Support Yellow Pages.

CyberMedia products are distributed through more than 10,000 retail stores in the United States, including WalMart and CompUSA. They are also distributed internationally in Germany, Canada, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Australia. CyberMedia products are also available from OEM distribution partners, including AST, Sony, Fujitsu, Packard Bell-NEC and Phoenix Technologies. They are also available for sale on the Internet through leading online resellers as well as the CyberMedia web site, http://www.cybermedia.com

Founded in 1991, CyberMedia employs more than 180, with company headquarters in Santa Monica, CA and offices in San Jose, CA.

For additional information contact CyberMedia, Inc., 3000 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405; phone (310) 581-4700; fax 310-581-4720; e- mail info@cybermedia.com or visit the CyberMedia web site at http://www.cybermedia.com