Internet Security Suites
| Posted in Security | Posted on 03-11-2011
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I just bought a new car and it cost me a lot of money! It’s fully loaded with every available option, very fast, and efficient on resources. However, it has a few problems. The power locks don’t work and the windows intermittently stay down, allowing all the outside elements into my new car!
OK, just kidding, I am still driving my old clunker and will probably cruise around in it for a few more years until a tire falls off, but if you purchased a new computer with Microsoft Windows recently, you can most certainly see the correlation I am illustrating – you buy a new computer, loaded with every option, a large hard drive, lots of memory, a top notch video card, but you’re told Windows is not secure and you need to buy anti-virus software immediately.
Wait a minute? I just spent… $ 900 on a new computer, of which $ 229 was for a Windows Vista license, but the operating system is not secure and I HAVE TO BUY software to keep viruses and spyware from contaminating my operating system? Maybe Microsoft should work on securing Windows before selling it to millions of people? I can’t think of too many other faulty products sold internationally, which are happily embraced by the public.
If you can think of some, please email me. I’ll list them here.
I could simply tell you to buy a MAC or Linux based computer, both of which have fewer, if any reported viruses, but I am not going to bash Microsoft in this article (at least not too much). There will be options in the near future to circumvent Windows, but currently businesses and individuals rely heavily on numerous legacy programs. The expense to retrain employees and convert files will be costly.
You can abandon Microsoft Windows entirely and replace it with an operating system less prone to viruses and spyware, or fight fire with fire and combat the evil-doers! If you decide to fight fire with fire, you will want to install the best internet security suite possible, preferably one that is well ranked by a reputable third party and does not require a Masters Degree in Computer Science to install and operate.
There are free options available, but typically the free option only offers one component of the full suite, so do you use a scaled-down free version or buy the whole package? This is really a personal choice, but the price of the paid versions won’t deplete your checking account and they range from $ 30-$ 80 annually.
Let’s take a step back though. Why do you even need this type of protection? What can you do to avoid installing a virus on your computer? The bulleted items below are your first line of defense. Be a smart computer user!
DON’T open emails from unknown senders.
DON’T visit questionable web sites from forwarded emails.
You DIDN’T just win $ 1,000,000 so don’t visit the web site or forward the email.
Little Johnny WILL NOT get his operation paid for if you forward his email to 50 friends.
If your bank, PayPal, or any known service says you need to provide them with your credit card information via email, DON’T. The email is a scam.
DON’T install any program from an unknown sender. IT WILL install spyware or a virus.
There are many internet security suites available, ranging from well-known companies to smaller companies new to the market. I am only listing the top five Internet Security Suites rated by PC World. They are rated on many technical features which I have omitted, but the table below should help guide you in the right direction.
Security Suite………………………………….Grade…….Detection of problems……Cost
G Data Internet Security 2010………………. 91………99.9%……………………….$ 30
Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009……90………..98.3%…………………….. $ 60 ($ 50 renewal)
BitDefender Internet Security Suite 2009……87………..98.9%……………………..$ 50
Panda Internet Security 2009…………………84………..98.1%……………………..$ 80 ($ 60 renewal)
AVG Internet Security 8.5……………………..81………….95.9……………………….$ 55

