Do You Still Need Antivirus Protection For Your Business?

Here’s an answer: do you still need antivirus protection for your business?

Cyber attacks are becoming one of the most pressing dangers to everyday business operations.

While it is increasingly common for modern operating systems to come equipped with various built-in security features, they are still insufficient to cover your most frequent attacks.

Unfortunately, most business owners get so enmeshed in the daily challenges of running a business that many ignore their security baseline and think free packs or built-in security software is enough to protect them from attacks. 

Managed IT Services Provider states that hackers count on security vulnerabilities like these. This can expose entire businesses (and their associated partner, vendor, and client network) to permanent and long-term cyberattack damage.

Viruses can be created and used by anyone from a business competitor to espionage agencies to random groups of miscreants looking to make a quick buck or achieve notoriety.

The damage can temporarily or permanently turn off your systems, steal information, or force you to pay a ransom (doubled with fines or legal hassle, as many local or regional governments have deemed paying ransom illegal).

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The safer way out is always to use a reliable antivirus program to detect worms and viruses and a firewall to protect you against attacks. Good antivirus and security software are usually packaged together to root out compatibility problems and make it more straightforward for users to protect their systems.

Your local IT Support Provider should be able to provide you with recommended packages that suit both your needs and budget.

How Does Antivirus Work?

Antivirus software can detect malware and viruses on your system. Users often think that it should be enough to protect them if they take ‘common sense’ protection, such as not clicking on suspicious links or attachments.

But as cybercrime evolves, many malicious programs are designed to be ‘sleeper’ in nature, i.e., they can lie dormant in your system and be activated at will. These programs are hard to detect and harder to get rid of. An antivirus program runs in the background, does periodic system scans, and can alert you to anomalies whenever it detects them.

If it suspects malicious activities, it will stop that program or file from executing further and put it in quarantine.

Depending on settings and permissions, the program can automatically delete such files or keep them in quarantine until the user decides to restore them (in case of a false alarm).

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Why Do You Need An Antivirus For Your Business?

Ransomware Protection

Ransomware attacks are getting increasingly common, with data from not just individual users but large public institutions like schools, hospitals, and private businesses being held hostage with threats from malicious actors.

Also, ransomware can act by restricting access to systems or simply stealing the information stored on systems until the demands from the attackers are met.

Ransomware can result in total access or permanent data loss, apart from the financial and legal pressures it creates for unfortunate victims. These attacks can bypass the feeble protection offered by bundled and free security software and antiviruses.

Data Protection

One of the primary reasons for using a robust and reliable antivirus is to protect your system from spyware that can try to ‘read’ and steal your valuable personally identifiable information (PII) and financial data.

This is primarily a sensitive use case for businesses where many workers can handle transactions. Tapping into the system of any of them can give hackers access to the entirety of your financial operations. 

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E-mail Protection

Following from above, phishing attacks are now commonplace among businesses of all sizes where malicious actors can try to ‘scope’ your employees to try and gain a foothold in your business network.

Apart from phishing attacks, e-mails can also be used as a distribution channel for viruses and Trojanslure people to enter their data on spoofed websites.

Strong antiviruses can prevent human error by clicking on seemingly innocuous images, text files, and links. They scan all incoming files, including attachments, and alert you early about suspicious activity.

Improved Online Security

It is crucial for businesses engaged in e-commerce activities to have a high-functioning antivirus solution. This can help your business block phishing attacks, spyware, and more trying to snoop in on your financial data and all your stored customer information.

Look for security solutions offering enhanced security features, such as data encryption during financial transactions. 

Ease of Use and Management

Why choose business packs over standard or home edition antivirus? Well, for one, business editions have much more centralized control.

You can manage the security of all your systems with a single administrator interface on this centralized console. This means ease of management through remote management and intuitive controls.

You are free to add/ modify permissions/ delete as many devices as you like and don’t need a specialized IT employee to manage it. 

Professional Support

Professional technical support is only a click away with business-class antivirus, as many manufacturers provide exclusive on-demand services for business customers.

Additional features include having a personal manager, 24/7 support, firewall, file shredder, anti-spam filter, VPN services, on-demand phone and video consultations, and more.

Background scanning without system slowdown

Your systems need to be monitored 24/7 to be protected against malicious attacks. However, due to poor resource management, many free antivirus solutions slow down your systems to a crawl when performing these periodic background checks.

This is another reason premium business antiviruses are an excellent long-term investment in ensuring round-the-clock protection with minimal impact on system performance.

READ ALSO: How to Protect Your Computer from Ransomware

Conclusion

Antivirus for business has become a critical necessity in the post-pandemic environment as cybercrimes rise to an all-time high.

Your local dedicated IT Support Services Provider often has security experts who can help you find the highest quality and cost-effective antivirus and security solution for your business. 

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About the Author:

Christian Schmitz

Editor at SecureBlitz | Website | + posts

Christian Schmitz is a professional journalist and editor at SecureBlitz.com. He has a keen eye for the ever-changing cybersecurity industry and is passionate about spreading awareness of the industry's latest trends. Before joining SecureBlitz, Christian worked as a journalist for a local community newspaper in Nuremberg. Through his years of experience, Christian has developed a sharp eye for detail, an acute understanding of the cybersecurity industry, and an unwavering commitment to delivering accurate and up-to-date information.

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