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Don't let
mention of "database" deter you — that's province of programmer. All you need do is configure your anti-virus program to regularly contact it's developer's website and download latest updates. Any anti-virus program worthy of your consideration will have a built-in scheduler to take care of regularly connecting to Internet and retrieving updates. Frankly, it is just too important a task to be left to frailties of human memory, so always use automation when it is available.
As for detection capabilities, most of major anti-virus packages are pretty much on a par these days. For me it's little extras that count, like ease of configuration, prompt and helpful support, etc. and of course cost. The specific brand of anti-virus software you use is up to you. My personal preference is a company I have been watching, using and recommending for a few years now: Grisoft, makers of AVG anti-virus. You'll find them here: http://HackersNightmare.com?res=AVG
If you are a home computer user you can use this excellent anti-virus program completely free of charge. The site layout and links change from time to time, but from link above look for a reference to "AVG Free". Note that there is also an AVG Trial, but that's a time-limited trial of commercial software. As a home user on a single stand-alone PC you'll be very happy with AVG Free.
Finally, a word about "security suites". I know I'm inviting criticism for this stance, but I must say I'm not a fan of security suites for most home or small business installations. A suite is a software package that offers not only anti-virus but includes software components that purport to tackle other nasties such as SpyWare, adware, etc.
In my experience you do not find best of each type of protection bundled together. Because a company may be extremely good at producing an anti-virus product does not mean they can do as good a job with an anti-adware solution. While corporate buyers tend to turn their noses up at free software, fact is that some of very best-of-breed security solutions are just that - free. If corporates with their big budgets and in-house IT support prefer to invest in complex and often costly integrated suites, that's fine. They have resources to handle anything that happens.
But for my money there's a lot to be said for implementing a series of much smaller, less complex, often free utilities that — matched task for task — can usually out-perform equivalent component parts of an integrated suite.
We'll be looking more specifically at adware and SpyWare threats in next part of this series, so if you are not yet a subscriber to this newsletter join now, or risk missing some very important information.
In interim, get yourself a good modern anti-virus scanner and, once installed, be sure to get into configuration options and set a daily update schedule. In AVG version 7 you just launch Test Center, click Scheduler button, double-click "Update plan" entry and select your preferred options. While you have Test Center open you might as well double-click on "Test plan" entry and set your preferred full-scan time. Mine happens in early hours of morning when it can't slow my work.
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Bill Hely is an Australian technologist, consultant and author whose professional focus has been on advising and supporting small business operators in IT and Office Productivity - and rescuing them when they didn't heed his advice the first time around. He is the author of several books on technology for the business person, including the Bible of Internet and PC security "The Hacker's Nightmare" - http://HackersNightmare.com
