The news is constantly filled with stories such as those of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, Hearthbleed and the NSA. This means that we are all constantly thinking about internet security and keeping ourselves safe. Of course, these huge stories are grabbing a great deal of attention, and this means that individual people think they are not as affected as others. In reality, however, you, the consumer, have to make sure that your machine is completely secure. This means that you need an antivirus as well.
You know that, and computer programmers know that as well. Hence, software developers are quite literally flooding the market with products all claiming to be the best antivirus 2015. All the major antivirus players have started to release their 2015 versions, many of which are now morphed to look more compatible with Windows 8. This means they are touch friendly and tile based. Others, however, have kept their layout familiar, hoping that it is this familiarity that will attract customers. But what should attract customers, and remember that means you, is the functionality of the programs themselves.
Independent Lab Tests
If you were to believe the developers of antivirus software, each program that is out there is the best of the best. Similarly, if you were to believe the affiliates who sell the products, you would believe the same. Hence, in order to find out who the true provider of the best antivirus 2015 is, you must find independent tests.
Independent tests look into the ins and outs of every system, without the results mattering to them. For an affiliate, a test that would show a certain program to not be as good would be very problematic. For the developer, it could be truly devastating. However, for you as the consumer, it is absolutely necessary.
There are five main things that these tests should look into and that you should take note of. These are:
- Detection – this determines how quickly a program is able to detect a virus. One important element in this is how often the program updates, as new viruses are created almost daily.
- Cleaning – does the program automatically remove the threat from your computer, or does it only quarantine them? Or perhaps it is a combination of the two.
- Protection – what will the program do to keep you safe? It is all good and well receiving a warning after you have been infected, but the program should stop the majority of attacks first.
- False Positives – some programs will tell you that you have a virus when you don’t. This is about as damaging as not being told you have one when you do.
- Performance – this includes a variety of different things. Firstly, it should not slow your computer down. Secondly, it should be easy to speak to a representative from the insurance company to help you out if you have a problem. Thirdly, it should be easy to install and use.
Hopefully, this information will help to keep you safe online.
