Antivirus Software

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Starting price	$39.95	$39.95	$39.95	$39.99
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User comments	6	4	1	15	32
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Buyer's guide - what to look for in Antivirus software

It's an absolute given that all PC computers and, more recently Mac computers, need to run anti-virus software. Given that we now organize so much of our personal and financial lives over the web we would be leaving ourselves vulnerable if we allow malicious software to be executed on our machines, free to collect and transmit whatever private data they see fit.

As with any must-have product there is now a flood of anti-virus solutions all vying for our attention. Significant investment is required in producing and maintaining a strong anti-virus security product and therefore not all the software available is equal in performance.

There are six areas to consider when choosing between anti-virus protection:

Level of protection
All anti-virus products will provide protection against viruses, Trojans and worms. Some products go further and defend your machine against spyware, keyloggers, phishing scams (via email client plugins) and rootkits. Products described as "360 degree protection" or "multi-layered protection" will often contain these features. Note that if you already have good anti-spyware software and anti-spam protection that includes phishing detection you may not need all of the bells and whistles.

Effectiveness of protection
How effective is the virus detection engine? This is the core of any anti-virus protection. Regular updates keep detection current but the quality and effectiveness of those updates is key. We have run detection tests on all of the software on Shoutdown and reported our findings. You can also find detection comparisons on many other reputable websites and also review the vendors own published figures.

Easy of use
How well is the software designed? How much user interaction is needed? Some titles constantly bombard the user with dialogue boxes asking for permission to accept certain programs to run and scripts to execute, while other you can install and forget. Depending on what type of user you are will dictate how much control over the detection process you need.

Updates
From detection of a new threat to software update, the security vendor should be able to supply a quick turn-around. Look for push updates (no need to wait for a scheduled download of an update) that are frequent. Updates often require a subscription, so factor in these costs when evaluating software.

Help and support
If you need help using the software, or worse need help with a virus infection, you?ll need good support. At minimum the software should have good online support files and forums with email support. Telephone or livechat support is sometimes also included (although may cost extra).

Added extras
Many anti-virus titles are expanding to encompass more features of a full blown security suite. Look for bundled firewalls and adware/spyware detection.

Our user votes and reviews are particularly helpful in evaluating the Ease of Use and Help and Support sections for each product. Above all, we would recommend that you choose a title from one of the biggest names. Symantec, McAfee, Panda, NOD and AVG all make excellent choices.