| every computer
requires anti-virus. virtually every machine is vulnerable to an infection
from a virus, whether it is a trojan, worm, or a garden variety virus.
until recently, mac has been immune to most infections. however, with the
release of osx, mac is no longer immune. mac needs protection as much as
any other computer.
think of
anti-virus software as insurance to protect your computer and the information
stored on it.
many companies
publish anti-virus software, with new companies entering the market on
a regular basis. their track records vary in virus detection and cleaning,
with a different company finding or missing the latest threat. no company
is 100% perfect all the time.
A few companies
that publish anti-virus software are:
mcafee
trend-micro
kaspersky
norton
(symantec)
computer
associates
avg
panda
clam
There are
many more companies than listed above. Some companies may offer freeware
anti-virus. There are comparisons of anti-virus applications around the
net.
The first
thing is deciding which anti-virus to install and use on your computer.
i would choose a company that provides excellent tech support. if you never
have a problem, it does not matter. If you are infected, and can't clean
it yourself, you don't want to wait on the phone for hours to speak to
someone for help. This aspect takes on new urgency if you are part of a
network, where a virus can spread faster than you can blink. on a network,
the server(s) must be protected too. a network is only as protected as
the weakest link.
anti-virus
companies often publish several varieties of software. the most common
varieties are for either servers, workstations, or stand-alone computers.
choose the anti-virus application according to your operating system and
version. other differences are in detection - some also include anti-spyware,
or joke programs.
a few anti-virus
companies, such as mcafee and trend-micro, also provide free online anti-virus
scans. these are excellent to use as a second scan. this is not acceptable
for total protection.
several
computer manufacturers install anti-virus on new computers for you. if
it is not acceptable for your requirements, find another to use.
don't be
caught unprotected. a nasty virus can trash your computer faster than you
can blink. good anti-virus protects your computer 99% of the time.
disclaimer:
ecg is an authorized reseller for mcafee and computer associates. |
