Like not wanting a drink of water until the water is shut off, you have no idea how important your computer, or the information on it, is until something happens. Most of us store years worth of data, photos and information on our hard drives. When we lose the information, it can be devastating. If you haven’t done the appropriate back up, it can be even more so. In some cases, it can feel like we have lost years worth of memories in the blink of an eye. Making sure that your computer is protected from the hundreds, if not thousands, of viruses on the internet is as important as keeping your home safe from criminals.
How to decipher which antiviral software is best for your needs?
All antiviral software is not created equal, nor for the same purpose. It is so hard to sift through the maze of antiviral programs, especially if you are not a tech savvy person. The average lay person can become overwhelmed deciding which software to purchase, and if not careful, can overspend for inefficient software that doesn’t do what is needed. The best way to think about antiviral software, is the same as you would antiviral medication. Its effectiveness, and efficiency, lies in outsmarting the impending virus.
Viruses are named so for their specific characteristics. Those characteristics are that they do harm to any operating system, and that they mutate automatically in order to combat changes in any protection competing against it. Viral software must do the same thing. Viruses created on the internet change on a daily basis. New ones are created, old ones are mutated. A good software, like a good medicine, will be able to account for those changes instantly. They will be able to combat subtle changes in order to stave off damage before it occurs.
The best antiviral products are the ones that stay ahead of the competition with innovation and upgrades on a continual basis. When testing software, the following scored highly on being able to defend malware samples consistently:
- Norton AntiVirus 2012
- Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013
- Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus
- Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012
If you are unable to afford purchasing antiviral software, there are free downloads available as well. Scoring the best among them are:
- Avast! Free Antivirus 7
- Avira Free Antivirus 2012
- AVG AntiVirus Free 2012
- Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 2.0
- ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall
The best defense against viruses to your operating system is to always be on defense. It is important to always make sure that your software is current by doing a manual daily check. A daily check will will provide any needed updates to your antiviral software. Without the updates, the software can not work at its optimal potential. Even when you have the software installed, being proactive in downloading the updates, is imperative to having it working as efficiently and effectively as possible. Ultimately, you will encounter a viral intrusion, minimizing its effect is always easier than leaving yourself unprotected all together.