How to Analyze an Antivirus ?

With a wide variety of products to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which anti-virus program is best for you. Consider performance, ease of use and the quality of customer support when analyzing an anti-virus product. Internet surfing habits should also be taken into account. For example, someone whose teenage children use the family computer to access peer-to-peer networks might need a more robust security program.

Instructions

Read the description of features on the anti-virus to determine if the program's features are suited to your individual needs. Features offered can vary considerably. Some programs, for example, may offer email and instant-messaging protection. Others have the ability to detect as yet unidentified viruses based on their behavioral profiles, and to root out sophisticated forms of malware, such as rootkits, which disguise themselves within system files. If you are worried about spyware being installed on your computer, check if the anti-virus software offers additional protection against spyware.

Check out how well the program performs. An anti-virus program's performance is determined by how effective it is at detecting and removing viruses and preventing them from being installed on a clean system. If a program has won a lot of awards, been certified by a security company, such as West Coast Labs, and received favorable reviews, it should effectively protect your computer from viruses and other forms of malware.

Seek expert opinion. Established security websites often test and compare anti-virus software products for performance, features, ease of use and customer support. Such impartial performance tests and reviews are made freely available to help someone to make an informed choice. They also enable people to make quick side-by-side comparisons of security products, to determine which offer the features that best suit their needs, as well as the level of computer resources they may require.

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