Tip of the Week: What to Do to Avoid Malware

We discuss security a lot. It’s really an important issue for businesses and individuals alike. We typically discuss the actions you can take to ensure you are doing all you can to protect your organization’s network and infrastructure from harm. Today, we are going to break down one of the most crucial parts of any cybersecurity setup: the antivirus. 

What Exactly is Antivirus?

If you are a longtime computer user, you know that every machine you’ve ever worked on, including every mobile device you’ve ever used, has some type of antivirus software installed on it. The antivirus’ sole purpose is to be able to identify (or search for) and eliminate malware, including trojan horses, Internet worms, spyware, adware, and more. 

There are endless amounts of threats that bombard networks constantly and if any one of those threats hit their mark, it can be problematic. After all, there are well over 50,000 new strains of malware created daily. Antivirus software is designed to keep up with this massive growth. 

What Does Antivirus Software Do?

No matter where you get your antivirus software, they work the same way. They scan specific files and directories for malicious code or patterns followed by identified malware. If they do identify malware they remove or quarantine the code so that it is not a threat to the underlying systems. Most antivirus software allows users to initiate scans of specific folders and files or an entire drive on a schedule or on demand. Basically, its sole purpose is to provide users with up-to-date security. 

What Are the Differences Between Personal and Business Antivirus?

The main difference between business and personal antivirus software is that for business purposes, more computers and devices need coverage. So while a personal antivirus will protect the device that it is installed on, a business (often called enterprise) antivirus will cover all the endpoints on a network. That’s the main difference: An enterprise antivirus is installed at the server level and covers all parts of a business’ IT infrastructure. 

What Does Your Business Do?

If you don’t have a plan on how to keep malware off of your business’ computing network and infrastructure, you need to start immediately. The more vulnerabilities your business has, the more likely it is to get hacked, have your employees be scammed, or lose face to your customers and prospects. 

At SCW, we take pride in being a security-first company that helps protect our clients by providing the products and expertise they need to cover all of their bases. Give us a call today at (509) 534-1530 to talk to one of our IT professionals about getting the right security software for your business.