What should you look for
in a PC security suite
When purchasing an internet security suite keep in mind the
various features and how they can best serve your needs. There are certain
elements that may be more important than others.
For instance, if you have a traditional "wired" network installed in your home
(i.e. you don't have wireless), Wi-Fi protection probably doesn't need to
be a high priority feature for you. Other facets of this software are necessities
and should always be included, like email scanning, for example.
The following is a brief description of what the different features are and
what you should take into consideration when choosing a product. As a rule
the more protective features the software has the less chance your computer
will be compromised
Email Scanning
When using email you need to know, before you open a message or attachment,
that it doesn't contain a threat to your computer. Even if the sender is
someone you know and trust there is always the possibilty that their address
book has been hijacked by a third party who's up to no good. The ability to
prescreen for risks will give you peace of mind that your email is safe. If
it's suspect you will receive a warning and be asked what steps should be
taken; should the software attempt to clean it or delete it?
Bidirectional Firewall
A good firewall should have the ability to monitor internet traffic in both
directions; incoming and outgoing. If there is some unexplained traffic
activity you should receive a warning and the software will block it if it's
from a suspect source. This is particularly important if you have a high
speed internet connection that is always on. Even if you're not online you
can still be vulnerable to an attack.
Wi-Fi Intrusion Detection
This feature alerts you to someone trying to access your wireless network.
It may be that they are attempting to invade your computer and gain access
to confidential information. If, as noted above, you don't have Wi-Fi this
will be a redundant feature. However, if you contemplate installing a
wireless network at some future time this would be nice to have available.
On Demand and Scheduled Scanning
This gives you a choice of scanning your pc as you see fit. With the
scheduled option you can set the antivirus scan to run at a time and
frequency of your choosing. You can select daily, weekly or monthly scans
and the time of day to run it. If your antivirus software uses a lot of
system resources you may prefer to schedule it to run late at night or in
the early a.m. hours so as not to slow down any tasks you are working on. On
demand scanning allows you to run it at anytime you desire, just click the
appropriate button on the user interface.
Automatic Updates
Automatic updated keep you abreast of the latest online threats without you
having to visit the software vendors website to manually stay up to date.
You don't have to worry about being protected. It's no exaggeration to say
that new viruses can be released on a daily or even hourly basis.
Hacker Blocking
This prevents someone from gaining unauthorized access and control over your
computer to steal data such as passwords and confidential information. A
hacker may also cause important data to be erased or corrupted.
While not a security component, one other thing to look out for is software
that doesn't bog down your system resources. This will allow you to work on
other jobs while a scan is in progress without slowing down those tasks.
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