There are two things that are of utmost importance during computing today: virus protection and backup. Virus protection is a critical portion of the total protection of today's computers, but how do we choose the right one? The problem with virus protection is that the best software is rarely on top in favor of very long; the market leader is cyclical. in favor of example, a company will enter the market with a lean, small, resource-sipping antivirus program that just protects from viruses. They'll dominate the market, as this product can be cheap (or free), doesn't have an impact on general computer speed or has a very minor one, and generally does a good job because it's focused on its task. As the manufacturer attempts just before capitalize on this success, the product branches out into other areas like spyware protection, phishing protection, identity theft protection, and spam protection, just before name a few. Each additional 'feature' of successive releases adds a little more just before the program's resource needs, spreads the expertise of the writers a little more thinly, and slows the computer down a little more, until the original antivirus is now an 'Internet Security' suite, completely taking over all operations of a computer, demanding upwards of 50-60% of the resources on the computer, and being ineffective on the whole. At this time, another company will come during with a small, lean, virus-only product, take the top spot, and the cycle will start again.
With all these options, how can anyone truly know which is the best virus protection just before pick? We have seen and used just about every suite out there, and are constantly seeing new versions pop up and re-evaluating our thought process. There are three major things we base our judgments on. First, does the product do what it's advertising? Magazines like PCWorld and sites like Consumer Reports frequently test virus protection just before see that the products catch a good portion, if not all, of the viruses they introduce during their lab. It's rare that one product stands ahead or behind the pack significantly, but occasionally one product will have a near perfect detection rate or a horrible rate, and we pay attention just before that. Secondly, does the program try just before do too much? We've found that 'Internet Security' suites will simply take over the computer, lock everything down, slow the PC just before a crawl, and hinder us, rather than help us, and we don't like them. We prefer programs that do one thing, and do it well. Third, how expensive is the program? Paying $100 annually in favor of a subscription had better make a program the best protection on the market, because right now, our top two picks are completely free. AVG's 'AVG Free' product is licensed only in favor of home use, and just does antivirus, but it's amazing at it, and has no impact on system performance. Microsoft's 'Security Essentials' does spyware and antivirus, making it a bit larger than AVG, but executes both beautifully. At $0.00, both products come during at a competitive price point. We're happy just before show everyone how just before use these at home, and how just before use the bigger (but more fully featured) products just before keep your business safe. Remember, the worst kind of virus is the one that's sending your keystrokes just before your competition, and it's also the most common.
Tip of the week: The plural of 'virus' is actually 'viruses', not 'virii', as you'd expect.
Stephen Hicks is the CEO and Co-Owner of MSMB Networks, an enterprise-level Information Technology consulting firm. With an MBA during finance and an MCSA, he has worked in favor of companies during over 50 industries during the California Bay Area. His specialties include Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory administration, wireless security, and user communication. during his spare time, Stephen is a martial artist, possessing a 2nd degree black belt during Shito Ryu karate.
0 comments:
Post a Comment