I had a 3 user version of Norton Symantec virus protection that recently expired. I have 3 computers (no, not all mine) running without virus protection. As one who has had the challenge of chasing computer viruses around my employers 11,000+ computer network for an incredible number of hours, I know very well the importance of having a good and up to date virus scanning utility installed on every PC. Unfortunately, I am sick of having to pay the virus mafia “protection money” to Symantec, McAfee or Kaspersky every year for up to date virus protection. There has to be a better way, and I think Microsoft has it.
Microsoft has a relatively new offering called Security Essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. Best of all, it’s free for home or home office users. But is it any good? I recently came across a study by AV-Comparatives.org showing that the Microsoft product compares very well with the other major anti-virus products. AV-Comparatives is an Austrian Non-Profit-Organization, which provides independent Anti-Virus software tests free to the public.
In the AV-Comparatives.org tests, Microsoft scored well on the performance tests (does it slow down your PC?), proactive/retrospective tests (does it catch old as well as new viruses and malware?), and the removal tests (how well does does it remove malware or viruses?). You can view all of the AV-Comparatives test results in the reports section of their website.
To install Microsoft Security Essentials, you simple visit the Security Essentials webpage and click the Download Now button. From there, answers a few prompts and you a good to go! Quick and easy. No confusing configuration questions. Just a simple install.
For more information on Microsoft Security Essentials, I would recommend visiting the following links;
- Review from ars technica
- PC World Review
- Article on sync-blog.com
Please leave a comment with your experience using Microsoft Security Essentials or your favorite anti-virus solution.
2 comments:
I started using Security Essentials about 3 months ago when my Symantec suite expired. It works much better than any other free solution I had tried in the past. I like the fact that it isn't a CPU or Memory hog like so many other antivirus solutions.
This is the first I've heard of Microsoft Security Essentials. I've had difficult (and overpriced) experiences with Norton, one disaster with McAfee, and have ended up using Avast antivirus, which works pretty well. But, based on your post, I'm inclined to test Microsoft Security Essentials.
JS
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