Along with the rapid development of computer technology, plagues such as viruses, worms, trojans, and spyware have evolved. Because of the increasing reliance of people on their computers for their daily activities, security utilities have played more significant roles in computer owners’ lives. With the ever-increasing number of security-related software available, the issue is not in finding one but in searching for the one that best suits your needs.
While some people are more comfortable in purchasing the more expensive brands of security utilities, some users are content by free software such as the AVG Anti-Virus, SpyBot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware. If you’re one who is trying to decide on whether to purchase or download free security utilities, it is fair for you to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Like most free products, people often question the reliability of free security utilities. Many believe that commercial software provide its users with superior efficiency and effectiveness as opposed to free products. However, studies have shown that this is not really the case.
Anti-virus scanners, in general, are not 100% effective. Although some perform better than the rest, installing one in your system does not ensure your computer’s security. Just because a product is free, it does not mean that it is inferior to another that is purchased with a premium. All security-related software, commercial or not, do not have perfect threat detection. In recent studies, all products in the market today have detection rates that are less than 100%. To be fair, the best commercial software in the market do have higher detection rates than free ones, the difference between these rates are at a minimum.
If your budget permits you to purchase the best brands of security-related computer software that are available in the market today, it would be best for you to do so. This may even help companies to delve deeper into research and development for the future of security utilities. However, if your budget is tight, you may find that it is sufficient for you to combine two or more free security-related software in order to increase detection rates compared to products that are used on their own. This choice, known as layering, reduces your dependence on a single product and because of this, many believe that this is much better than relying on a single commercial product, even if the is at the top of the market.
At the end of it all, choosing the best security utilities for you should not be a matter of price. No freeware or commercial software can work perfectly but they can work equally well as long as you choose those that best suit the level of your internet usage and as long as you get them in the right combinations.PASSED
