We are all familiar with flu season, the time of year synonymous with compulsive hand washing and Lysol spray. Unfortunately, there is no special time of year that is better or worse for your computer. Every day people are dreaming up new viruses, worms and Trojans that ravage your desktop or laptop and render it and any files you may treasure useless without an expensive repair. Never fear, there is a flu shot out there for your computer in the form of an anti-virus program. 

People are constantly asking which anti-virus program is the best. The truth is that just like every flu season brings a new flu shot, every year or so there is a newer better anti-virus program. In the past we readily recommended Norton and AVG programs, however, we have found that over time both of these packages have become less and less effective. A current Sidekick Technologies’ favorite is Microsoft Security Essentials, which happens to be free to anyone with a valid Windows XP (32 bit), Vista, or Windows 7 license. This program is available for download on Microsoft’s website. It’s minimal use of system resources combined with the program’s proficiency at catching viruses and spyware before they become a problem, has impressed our team of professionals. 

If you experience a greater sense of protection from security software you pay for we have a few recommendations in that category as well. Sidekick Technologies has been confidently recommending ESET and NOD32 to our clients. Panda Security has been making a few waves with their newly released “Cloud Protection” which promises to provide the latest in anti-virus definitions instantly while taking almost no system resources to run. We are currently testing this solution, call in and we can share our results with you. 

So you can put down the Lysol, now that you have installed an effective anti-virus program, updated it, and have it running in all your workstations. If your company still does not have anti-virus software or are interested in learning more about with options are available, wash your hands, and feel free to contact us.