Abstract: A software module on a client computer sends a query to a remote computer server operating a cloud service and receives a response, in order to determine latency. The latency is used with the total size of the packets sent and the packet size to determine the bandwidth available over the network connection at that time. Bandwidth available is calculated periodically and stored in a database of the client computer. Comparing a calculated bandwidth with predefined threshold values indicates whether the network status is good for initiating a cloud service with the computer server or poor. Any number of bandwidth available values are used to determine a slope and the slope is used to predict a bandwidth available value at a future time. A bandwidth available moving average is calculated by summing the bandwidth values for the previous days and dividing by the number of days; the moving average is calculated periodically.

Abstract: A file or other data unit may be scanned for malicious code by calculating a hash value of a portion of the file or data unit and transmitting the hash value of the portion over a computer network to a remotely located server computer. In the server computer, the hash value of the portion may be compared to hash values of malicious codes. The server computer may send the result of the comparison over the computer network to the client computer. The client computer may send one or more additional hash values of other portions of the file or data unit when the result indicates that the hash value of the portion matches a hash value of malicious code. Otherwise, the client computer may deem the file or data unit to be free of malicious code.