Security Software Shopping Tips

Go for the suite spot

You’ll need antivirus, firewall and antispyware software to keep your PCs safe from most threats. While some expert users manage to run individual products from different vendors, the applications may not play nicely together. You may even cause your system to crash. Suites are designed so that applications dovetail smoothly. They also give you a single interface to control everything. What’s more, suites are priced to be much cheaper than the sum of their components. You may need to find separate spam filtering, anti-phishing and adware software.

Check the extras

Security suites often go beyond the basics offering features like parental controls, spam filtering and tools to stop private information like passwords, account details or telephone numbers from being transmitted.

Don’t double up

It’s tempting to think that running two firewalls or antivirus programs will make your system doubly secure – it won’t. Overlapping security tools can create havoc, slowing your computer and making it hard to troubleshoot problems. Stick with one of everything, it’ll be safer not to mention cheaper.

Watch the calendar

Many commercial security software products come as one or more applications coupled with online links to an automatic updating service. Typically when you buy the product one year’s worth of updates come as part of the deal. When the year is up you’ll be given an option to pay a fee to get a further year’s worth of updates.

That’s convenient, but typically the cost of an extra year’s subscription is more or less the same as what you’d pay for new versions of the applications. As security vendors are constantly updating their technology and adding more features to their products – buying a fresh product is often the better option. What’s more, avoiding the subscription gives you an opportunity to avoid lock-in and move to a rival company’s offering.

Also, watch out for arrangements where a security software company takes your credit card details and automatically invoices for updates. They try to tell you this is a service to make life easier for you. In fact, they do it because they make a lot more money that way.

See also:

Computer security guide: 1 introduction
Computer security guide: 2 what are the main threats?
Computer security guide: 3 defensive software
Computer security guide: 5 what to buy or download for free

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It’s not a question of whether the virus-writers, phishers, spam merchants and other assorted online nuisances are targeting your PC, your money and your privacy, it’s a question of how successful they will be.

Your computer and your data are potentially vulnerable from the moment you hit the on button. The threats multiply when you go online. While there’s no sure way to make your system safe, there’s plenty you can do to minimise the risks.

The Big Picture
The risks are real. At the less worrying end of the spectrum, unscrupulous neighbours might hop onto to your wireless router so they can surf the web on your ISP account or pranksters may load your PC with troublesome viruses.

There are people, including in some cases seemingly respectable companies, who want to spy on your online activities. More seriously, there are crooks who’d like to control your computer so they can suck money from your bank accounts.

Others want to hijack your machine so they carry out their crimes or even terrorist acts at arm’s length leaving a trail that investigators may track to your front door.

Getting Started
It sounds scary and it can be, but a whole industry has evolved to help keep you safe. These days you need a variety of tools to fight a complex range of security threats (see the next post: Computer security guide: 2 what are the main threats).

At the minimum you should be looking at using an antivirus program, a firewall and some antispyware tools.

This may sound complicated and expensive, but all-in-one security suites can make life considerably easier and help you sleep at night.

These can be particularly helpful if you’re not a security expert because the separate tools in security suites are designed to interact smoothly with each other and provide overlapping protection from today’s nastiest threats which can use a blend of techniques to probe your defences.

Further reading:
Computer security guide: What are the main threats?
Computer security guide: Defensive software
Computer security guide: How to buy security tools
Computer security guide: What to buy or download for free

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