Paid Or Free Antivirus? See The Best Option For Micro-Businesses

Nowadays, there is a need to have at least one paid or free antivirus to defend the data on your company’s computers.

In addition to avoiding data theft, a paid or free antivirus is essential to protect yourself from the dangers that make computers slower and full of advertisements capable of crashing the operating system.

But which option to choose in the case of micro-enterprises? Is it worth investing in paid or free antivirus? Check out!

Difference Between Paid And Free Antivirus

Both types of antivirus are suitable for Windows machines, meaning that those who use Linux computers do not need to worry about this type of defense.

The paid versions offer more layers of protection, but there are free options that may be worth it, depending on the operating system on the company’s computers.

See now the differences and advantages of paid or free antivirus. Also, understand which of these options is best for your micro-enterprise.

Paid Antivirus

One of the differentials of paid antivirus is that it offers centralized control. This resource allows updating thousands of machines simultaneously, which is helpful for small companies with two or more devices needing agility.

Technical support from paid antivirus manufacturers can also be called to resolve simple, medium, or advanced problems.

If computer data is precious – for example, business balances, financial records, calendars, etc. – it is better to use paid antivirus. The paid versions make it difficult to get a virus infection, even with some careless users.

In some characteristics, paid antiviruses are similar to free antiviruses, mainly preventing viruses from affecting the computer. However, a particularity of the paid editions is that they offer extra protections such as Firewall, antispyware, and internet browser defense.

Check out what each of these protections are:

Firewall: It is an essential solution for networks for blocking unwanted data and allowing only authorized access;

Antispyware: prevents downloads or installation of programs from generating unwanted advertisements on the screen that make the computer slow down;

Browser defense: defends the machine from accesses from suspicious cybernetic environments that could harm the operating system.

If you’re in doubt about going for paid or free antivirus, consider your team’s level of understanding of the technology.

If your micro company’s computers are old, don’t be in doubt between paid or free antivirus. Machines with old operating systems, such as Windows XP, can rarely update correctly and are very susceptible to risks via the internet or installing specific programs.

One of the main advantages of paid antiviruses is to defend your computer very well from web surfing. So, growing micro-enterprises that need to carry out online operations whose data cannot be leaked, damaged, or stolen should opt for this version.

It is worth noting that defending machines from online dangers depends not only on paid or free antivirus but also on the behavior of the people on your team and the security of the computer’s operating system.

Best paid antiviruses: Bitdefender, McAfee, Norton, ESET, and Kaspersky Lab – some of these options have exaggerated features that exceed the final prices. Therefore, review what each version can offer before confirming your subscription.

Free Antivirus

Are you in doubt about choosing paid or free antivirus? You can save money with the free versions if your team members have intermediate computer and internet knowledge.

For your company to use free antivirus, people using computers must be trained to never click on suspicious links or carry out unsafe downloads. Consider that the free versions have fewer layers of security; that is, even a tiny mistake can be harmful.

When in doubt between paid or free antivirus, also consider the age of the machines. Newer computers have operating systems that already offer some protection, which can be helpful for you to save money on hiring free antivirus and have protected devices.

For example, Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers don’t need the antispyware feature of paid antiviruses because these machines already have Windows Defender against commercial spies and software that generate unauthorized advertising.

The choice between paid or free antivirus also depends on the condition of your company’s computers. Another critical point of view is the originality of Windows on company computers because only on actual operating systems is it worth paying for antivirus.

Besides being illegal, piracy versions also make the computer less strong against risks because the machines don’t update properly.

Does your company habitually take computers every month to a specialist technician for support and preventive maintenance? In these cases, keeping a free antivirus on your machines is better, especially when the costs of paid antiviruses are higher compared to professional technical analysis.

Suppose the computers have free antivirus and the team knows the minimum of internet. In that case, there are no problems checking files, whether in free protection software or on free sites that analyze any document to determine if it is infected.

Best free antivirus: Avast/AVG, Avira, and Bitdefender – these options also offer paid plans with more features.

Paid Or Free Antivirus: Which One To Choose?

Invest in paid antivirus if:

• The machines are not new, and there are many daily operations with valuable data;
• Computers seldom undergo preventive maintenance;
• The team lacks the time or knowledge to avoid the risks of virtual infection, requiring a system that works automatically in constant danger alerts.

On the other hand, using free antivirus can be a good economic measure if:

• The team knows how to avoid risks on computers;
• There are new machines updated by technicians quite frequently;
• The operating system of the devices already has robust security.

Now it’s up to you! Choose paid or free antivirus according to the characteristics of your micro-enterprise and ensure the protection of your business’s valuable data.

Also Read: How To Protect Against Cyberattacks On Web Applications