8 things you must consider before buying your antivirus software

Using antivirus software makes life much safe, easy and convenient. Difficulty lies in selecting the one that caters to your needs. There are more brands of these software applications in existence than you can imagine. Every brand that makes antivirus software claims their product offers an edge regarding protection against viruses and malware. Therefore it is crucial to do sufficient research before you select the best antivirus for your computer system. In the following sections of the blog post let us explore few important factors that you must consider while selecting your antivirus software suite.

Methods of scanning and detection of malicious programme codes

Antivirus software applications that are more reliable provide real-time scanners. Those also provide on demand discovery. The real time scanner remains continuously active in the background. It checks each and every file that is accessed through your device. This includes all files both online and offline. In addition to that an on-demand scanner also runs through each and every file on your device periodically. This scan checks for malware. This is irrespective of whether malware is accessed or not. Both real-time and ion-demand scans combine to provide you with the best possible protection from cyber threats, scams and spam.

Terms of payment

Brands that manufacture antivirus software levy an annual subscription on their users in exchange of their service. There are also some other charges that you better should watch out for. It is obvious that you should invest in antivirus that is efficient and reasonably priced. Here are few tried and tested tips to help make your search streamlined.

• Is the software you are eyeing for the latest or most updated version?
• Does the manufacturer offer enough time on the free trial version so that you test the programme properly and take an informed decision?
• Regular updates and license renewals will definitely cost money. Will those figures bump the price up than what was estimated earlier?

Effect of speed on your device

There are certain types of heavy-duty antivirus software that run continuously in the background. This range of antivirus obviously consumes lot of the resources of the CPU. As a result the processing speed of the devices gets greatly affected. This could be a problem on every day basis especially if you run heavy-duty software or games that require substantial resources of the CPU. An expert dealing in software in London suggests you should first use the trial version of your chosen antivirus programme. This allows you to weigh whether the requirements of the antivirus suite conflict with those of your own of the device. Otherwise the system in question will suffer trying to keep up with heavy demands at both ends.

Privacy policy

We all are more or less aware about the fact that personal information is under great threat these days than ever. And for this everyone should remain grateful to the Internet. Antivirus companies are expected to protect the data of their users. Unfortunately a number of antivirus companies are charged with selling data of their users to information brokers. While you shortlist your antivirus manufacturer make sure the company is not never involved in any such scam. It is also important to carefully go through the privacy policy of the software product. It tells you the full extent to which the software suite will access your personal information. Moreover the privacy policy says everything about how the software in question uses that information. If you are in doubt about anything regarding the privacy policy, seek help online.

The method of removing a piece of malware application

It is also crucial to consider the method the software follows in removing a piece of malware application from your computer system. Few important factors that you should consider in this aspect include the following –

• The registry of the latest Trojans, worms, Rootkits and Spyware must be up to date. The elements mentioned here actually pose the threat.
• The virus removal method of the antivirus software must be foolproof.
• The virus infestation must not be allowed to spread across your other devices.
• Any suspicious source of data must be blocked immediately.
• Any suspicious file on your device should be instantly quarantined till the time those are examined properly.
• Once the viruses are removed that should not affect your files negatively.

Computer viruses are broadly of two categories. One category of viruses corrupts only your files or information stored in the device. The other category also corrupts your computer system or devices. Considering the second category of viruses that also affects computer systems your chosen antivirus must have a set of special tools. These tools clean up the system and restore your device to its actual functionality.

Smooth compatibility with your computer system

It is important to note that Mac or Linux systems never guarantee full protection from malware. You should not choose any antivirus for your system, but you should choose antivirus that is compatible with your device. A specific version of an antivirus is designed to meet the needs of a specific version of an Operating System.

Additional protection features to consider

Antivirus software offers basic protection to your electronic devices. What else does it perform? How many of those features are actually useful to you? You should answer these questions properly while selecting the antivirus for your devices. Few additional features that make an antivirus reliable to the users include the following –

• Most significantly, protection to multiple devices in just one package or subscription
• As far as government officials are concerned, anti spyware scanning
• As far as company-owned devices are concerned, impregnable security firewall
• For devices that children use, parental locks

Full-range technical support

A reliable and trustworthy company never sells you software and then forgets you. Rather it keeps engaged with you over the years. A competent antivirus company just does that. How will you know that the software company that makes your preferred antivirus wants to keep its customers engaged? Access the troubleshooting forum of the company website and see whether the questions posted there have been promptly answered by the techies working in the company. This is a reliable way to ascertain the truth. You may also contact their helpline number with a query and gauge the level of efficiency as well as response time they take to sort out your issue.

Experts who prefer buying software in the UK opine that buying antivirus software should never be a stressful or confusing procedure. Take your time to research on your options and understand your specific security concerns clearly. Go through various tech review sites to know about the reviews of the most popular antivirus software.