Free Anti-Virus - Good in a Pinch, Not the Best Strategy for the Long Run

Before delving into the free vs paid argument, let's get one subject out of the way up front:  You need anti-virus and other "anti" threat protection measures.  It's not a want.  It's not a nice to have.  It's a need, period.  You're simply putting your data at great risk without it.

The lure of free software is of course always tempting.  After all, it's pretty hard to beat the price.  Products like AVG's Free edition of their anti-virus program provides very good protection.  And in a pinch, we highly recommend it for any unprotected PC.

However, once a small business gets beyond counting the number of computers on one hand, it's time to look at the "corporate" offerings.  Why?  What's the difference between the corporate and consumer offerings?  They protect against the same viruses, don't they?  

Yes, they do.  A virus does not know what kind of computer it is attacking.  It just attacks when given the opportunity.

The corporate editions protect against the humans.  Both you, your employees and anyone else that uses one of your computers.  Basically the corporate editions protect against the proverbial self-inflicted gun-shot wounds.

Have you ever had to disable your anti-virus software when you were installing a new piece of software or installing a device driver for a new piece of hardware?

There's the danger window.

Most anti-whatever (virus, malware, etc.) programs will allow you to temporily disable itself.  Usually for a defined time like 15 minutes, 1 hour, etc.  Other options can include, "until next restart," and of course just disabling until you remember (operative word) to re-enable it.

And there inlies the rub.  

First, who is making the decision to install what program(s)?  Next, do you want to leave it to chance that someone could disable the program permanently either on purpose or simply by accident?  Probably not.

Corporate editions, among many other features can enforce uniform policies, and passwords for usage.  Meaning in order to disable the anti-virus program, a password will first have to be entered before doing so.

BYOD

Many companies are starting to embrace a "BYOD" (bring your own device) approach to I.T.  This started with smartphones and tablets (largely iPhones and iPads) but has now expanded to traditional laptop computers. 

Even though a company may allow employees to use any devices they see fit, that does not mean that all policies governing security get thrown out the window.  In fact, it usually means other aspects need to get tighter.

Taking a Comprehensive Approach

This is where the corporate versions of security programs help close those gaps.  Even though the user will most likely have administrator control over a computer, these programs have their own added security so they cannot be easily disabled or removed without a separate password.  Additionally, the corporate anti-virus tools come with administrator consoles.  This means you can see who has their security installed and who does not.  Additionally, it can monitor each computer to ensure they are fully up to date, fully enabled, and fully compliant with your security policies.  

Having tools such as Symantec Endpoint Protection, our tool of choice on this subject, can help protect your company's data and remove a large level of worry.

Where to buy?

Once you get beyond consumer level products, you will typically not find such products in retail channels, even such chains that cater to small businesses like Staples.  They are available on-line via various channels as wellas most managed service providers and consulting firms.

Have questions?  Please feel free to reach out to us at any time.

How to guard against devices without any software installed? 

What about all those tablets, smartphones and the occasional "rogue" PCs?  How does one add that extra layer of protection?

Coming soon in a not-so-distant future post:  Unified Threat Management.