A lot of people think all antivirus packages are created equally, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are huge differences between the various program developers, and also between whether the suite is designed for home or business use. It is important to understand the difference between the two, as a business package will not suit a home user, and vice versa.
Understanding the Difference
Business packages focus very strongly on security and easy maintenance. They generally have a central control point, from which they can cover the whole network. They can also divide the protection they offer across different PCs, devices and servers. A new software update will automatically be applied to all devices. Usually, individual users will also not be allowed to make any changes to it.
Businesses tend to also have a lot more protection in terms of what they look at. They focus on internet and intranet, email messages, text messages, internet access, server downloads and more. They also have a lot more options available. Put together, it will come as no surprise that this is also a lot more expensive, particularly as they generally come with multiple licenses. None of this is needed for a domestic user simply looking for the best internet security package.
What to Look for in an Antivirus Program
Finding out what the effectiveness and quality of an antivirus program is tends to be down to how often they update the program. The world of virus and antivirus is the world of cat and mouse. For every piece of technology a hacker releases, an antivirus programmer (often also a hacker, by the way) will try to find a code to combat it. This, in turn, leads to the hacker trying to find something to beat the new code, and so on. This goes on every single day, which is why frequent updates are absolutely vital and the main thing to look for in terms of effective antivirus programs.
A Few Important Factors
- Is your antivirus program compatible with the operating system on your machine? If you have Windows 98, for instance, you can’t use an antivirus program that was created in 2006, as it simply will not run.
- How much resources will your scanner use? If you have limited space on your machine, you don’t want to install anything that requires various gigabytes worth of space. The more space the program requires, the more slowly it will make your computer run as well.
- What protection is included in the software? There are three main types of threats: viruses, worms and Trojans. A good antivirus package will usually offer protection against all three.
- How much does it cost? Obviously, value for money is very important. However, money doesn’t grow on trees and we all have to make sure we don’t overspend. While your final decision shouldn’t be based on price alone, it is likely to be an important factor in your overall considerations.
