When it comes to protecting your data, security matters.
Perhaps it goes without saying that Anti-Virus protection is still vital to every organization’s IT infrastructure, in fact it is increasingly paramount as new viruses and malicious software are added to the technological landscape daily. With a plethora of options available; from free software to paid subscription services, it has become quite affordable to protect your computers. With that being said, the risk of being unprotected against attacks could be detrimental to your environment and reputation; making this decision one of the easiest you’ll make today.
Damage Caused by Viruses and Malicious Software
While some viruses may be more annoying than harmful, such as political or humorous messages displayed on your screen, others can cause irreparable harm to your network. These include:
- Stealing hard drive disk space
- Stealing CPU time
- Accessing private information
- Corrupting data
- Spamming your contacts
- Logging keystrokes
- Stealing passwords and other private information
Motives for Creating Viruses
There are a multitude of reasons that people create viruses that install on your computer and cause damage or annoyance. With that being said, regardless of what motivated the creator of the virus, if it ends up on your machine it is your business, your reputation and your data that is on the line. Some of the most popular reasons are:
- Profit Seeking
- Send a political message
- Personal Thrill/ Amusement
- Expose vulnerabilities
- Sabotage a company
- Denial of service
- Learning Purposes
Two Ways to Implement Anti-Virus Protection
When it comes to installing and implementing anti-virus software there are two main ways to protect your network. These depend largely on the amount of machines you have in your environment, servers that connect your workstations, and the staff on hand to facilitate updates and administrative tasks related to your security.
Standalone Anti-Virus
This solution in the context of centralized vs. standalone anti-virus software involves installing software individually to multiple machines, which are each individually required to update to protect against the latest viruses. In companies with only a few computers and that lack an IT department, this solution makes sense to implement. Additionally, chances are there are no servers at your location to manage your anti-virus, which furthers this as a viable solution. The important aspect here is that regardless of the size of your organization or the amount of technology you utilize, you should have protection against viruses and malicious software.
Centralized Anti-Virus
Centralized management of your anti-virus solution is the most efficient way to protect your system if you utilize a server, or have more than 5 computers. This allows for you to run updates from one machine, allow for administrative tasks to be taken care of for everyone at once and gives the responsibility of protecting your systems to an IT professional.
Fuse offers free consultations and quotes for your technology needs. If you’re still without an anti-virus, reach out to us today to find out how we can secure your systems.
