Should you pay for your antivirus?
Antivirus is a basic but huge part of our operations, and due to the size and scope of our operations, there’s no way that we could get by without a high-quality, paid, premium antivirus software.
Our antivirus is a huge part of ensuring we stay secure, as there are many types of malicious software out there used by criminals and hackers.
While a lot of viruses can be dealt with by free software, there are more sophisticated ones out there, designed to encrypt and ransom personal or business files, uncover key details of business operations or steal identities.
Let’s take a further look at the pros and cons of free vs paid antivirus, and hopefully, inform you on the correct decision to make.
Free Antivirus
For most civilians, who simply use their mobile phone for most things, and only occasionally use their computer for work or study, free antivirus software could be enough to protect you from the limited threats you will face.
As this scenario won’t likely involve securing high-value data or files, or the ins and outs of a business’s operations, there is less incentive for malicious operators to target your systems will malware.
There are two basic features that a free antivirus software will come with: On-demand scanning, and Real-time protection.
The combination of these two features provides a multifaceted and strong protection against malware, giving the user the power to scan their device at any time by using the software to detect any malicious files in downloads or emails.
These files can then be isolated and destroyed, protecting the PC and its contents.
Real-time protection means that your PC is always on alert for attempted breaches in security too.
With this in mind, why would it be recommended to secure your business systems with a paid antivirus?
Paid Antivirus
As one would expect, there is a far greater range of features available to the user when paying for a premium antivirus software.
These features significantly strengthen the defensive arsenal of your computer, with the software being able to implement parental controls, protect all of your different connected devices, protect against your identity being stolen, implement a sophisticated firewall system, and allow you to open Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) on your connection.
This is a huge raft of features that provides more than enough for any normal user, but as a result, comes at a fairly high price – it’s then down to the user to know how much protection they actually require, and whether it is worth shelling out the finances to stay protected and secure.
For this reason, it is worth considering for commercial and data-sensitive purposes, but could be above and beyond the average user.
What is for sure is that if you are going to pay, make sure to pay for the right one – we recommend completing personal research in order to establish the best value for money.
Talk to us about Data Protection.
At Town and Country, internet security and data protection are of huge importance to us. We hope we were able to help with your antivirus queries, and provide insight into the world of data protection and why it is so important.
If you would like to find out more about Town and Country’s range of services, you can get in contact with our friendly team today on 01202 514444.
