It’s not often that I can make it even a week without being asked:

What type of antivirus should I use?

The answer varies completely depending on the situation, so I’ll try and break this down into three categories.

1. Home users/Solopreneurs (the 1-5 workstation environment)
2. Small Businesses (the 5+ workstation environment, with or without a server however NO internal e-mail server)
3. Small Business with Exchange (same as small business above, but with an Exchange server)

Home Users/Solopreneurs are the hardest category to pinpoint into a specific type of antivirus.  I personally use Microsoft Security Essentials for my home PC because of the low, low cost (free).  There are other great products out there (including WebRoot SpySweeper and Trend Micro Internet Security) as well to look into.  If you have an old computer that can’t handle newer software, AVG is a lightweight antivirus that is at least better then nothing.

Small Businesses without Exchange have the advantage of being able to get less expensive antivirus then those that do have Exchange.  The antivirus that I recommend for this group is Trend Micro Worry Free Standard.  This antivirus software installs on servers, is extremely light-weight (yet still thorough), extremely inexpensive, and centrally managed.  While not as cheap as free (like Microsoft Security Essentials), you get what you pay for and with Trend Micro you get a LOT for what you pay for.

Small Businesses with Exchange have a different challenge.  To protect yourself from e-mail viruses, you will need something more robust then the Standard antivirus listed above.  For those in this situation, Trend Micro Worry Free Advanced would be the antivirus of choice.  With all of the same benefits that Trend Micro Worry Free Standard provides, Advanced also includes Exchange scanning.

Hopefully this will help you in making a decision regarding antivirus.  If you’d like help choosing the right software suite for you, or a quote on any of the software listed above, give us a call!

Michael Curnutt, President

Need help with the above article?  Looking for a geek that has turned consultant?  Let Expedient Technology be your IT department.  Serving the greater Everett area, we are happy to be your partner for all things tech. Contact us.