Anti-Virus is the first thing that any responsible computer owner should have installed on their computer after firing it up for the first time. This question is likely the #1 question I am asked daily about regarding computers. However, the question should be not which “FREE,” but rather, which “PAID” anti-virus should I get? The old adage “you get what you pay for” is so true when it comes to anti-virus programs.
Every day there are news articles about malware attacks and ransomware. And it often shocks me how unprepared everyone is when it comes to computer security. Many business owners purchase a great computer to run their business. However, they will not spend $100 or less per year to protect themselves from a malicious attack! Ongoing maintenance and security should always be factored into the cost of your computer. You could end up spending more, and then experience more loss if you do not.
What you get for free
Understand how free anti viruses work.
1. Free Anti-Viruses are extremely trimmed down versions of the paid versions of the the anti-virus product.
2. Free Anti-Viruses do not have active monitoring.
3. Free Anti-Viruses only tell you what happened.
4. Free Anti-Viruses need user action (that’s you) to scan.
5. Most Free Anti-Viruses do not have the capability to scan on a schedule.
6. Free Anti-Viruses do not have auto updates or any updates at all.
When looking for a paid Anti-Virus, you need the following
1. Active monitoring: this watches your activity on your computer and prevents malicious programs from running.
2. Scheduled scanning: this scans your computer daily or weekly to verify nothing is missed in the active monitoring.
3. Consistent updates: the landscape of viruses change all the time. You need consistent daily and weekly updates.
4. Link scanning: all links you click on while you browse the internet should be scanned to verify safety before you visit a malicious site.
5. Download scanning: downloads are the #1 way that computers are infected. You should have every download scanned before you open them!
This post is not sponsored by any anti-virus product. I do recommend a few paid products that you can purchase via DataCom Technologies. Regardless of what you do, you should purchase an Anti-Virus program right now! If you are not sure what to purchase, contact us today and we will get you a product ASAP.
To learn more about Anti-Virus or for answers to other computer questions, click here to contact us. Also included in our UPTIME plan is an Enterprise Anti-Virus software. Click here for more information about that.
