PC Software Adviser

Antivirus Vs Internet Security

If you’re confused about the difference between antivirus and internet security, well get ready to be confused more as antivirus publishers now are throwing consumers with new type of security suites: Extreme Security, Total Security, 360, and Global Protection are all new kind of security suites that you should be able to differentiate from antivirus and internet security. But before you’re getting more confused, it’s better to explain that basically there are three kinds of security suites you will find in the market from the same publishers: antivirus, internet security, and the most features-packed suite that each publisher has their own name for, new phrases that are mentioned before.

In features wise aspect, antivirus gives you the most basic features and technologies to identify and remove any malware that include virus, Trojans, and worms. The next two types of security software give you more additional features like firewall, anti spam, identity theft protection, parental control or even features that are less related to security like system optimizer and online disk backup. The convention between all publishers doesn’t always clear on which suite offers this and that. For example, you could find an antivirus suite from one brand that also offers firewall and anti spam protection, while for the other brand you should pick the internet security suite to get these features.

Choosing the most ideal security suites for your needs requires a little bit of comparison research. And it doesn’t always true that the more you pay for a product, the more you can get from it. This is true especially in the security software department. An antivirus might be the better choice for you instead of internet security or the more sophisticated suite if the latter two give your low-end PC system a big performance hit. Normally, the more features an internet security has, the more system resource it needs. Some features like firewall or anti-spam even already there in your system. So there is little need to find the new one unless you don’t satisfied with their results. But you should remember that antivirus alone cannot give you full protection over your PC. You still need other protection whether or not it is available free (like firewall or anti-spam).

With that said, it is rather out of context to compare antivirus and internet security. The right comparison would be to compare an internet security with a handful of individual programs combined together with an antivirus to build a perfect match for the former one. Both can give an ideal security condition for your system. So it’s no wonder that even a malware specialist from Trend Micro once said that “an antivirus offers a false sense of security.” The fact that they still selling antivirus suite among their internet security and Total Protection is because consumers demand it.

Concluded, it’s recommended to have a security suite with more features and technologies. Now the problem is about the budget. But don’t worry, you can find the right balance between the features being offered and the price tag even in the middle of features disparity between antivirus and internet security from one brand and another. In fact, it makes this budget problem solved itself: You might get a great internet security suite from one brand for the same price of an antivirus suite from another brand. Not only that, if you only need a stronger firewall you don’t need an internet security suite. Certain antivirus package from some brands already offer this features and will save you at least 20 bucks. Thanks to that disparity issue.

The next and most features-packed security suite is called Global Protection by Panda, Total Security by Trend Micro, Norton 360 by Symantec, or ZoneAlarm Extreme Security by Check Point. Do you need them? Of course we want an extra precaution measure to strengthen our Windows security wall. But, you may want to make sure that the extra features these suites bring will serve just that. If not, it will only be an extra burden for your system not to mention another extra burden for your pocket as it will cost you $20 to $40 more. So my suggestion is to look for the technologies that are specific to that suite and avoid extra features that are not related to security like system optimizer. If one suite only offers small, security-unrelated additional features and nothing else, stick with internet security. Some suites do offer some key-technologies that enhance malware protection method in their antivirus and internet security suite, giving it an extra value to upgrade.

At the end of the day, the decision to go either for antivirus, internet security, or even the suite beyond that is a matter of the right balance between features and price. So one day, if you stumble upon an Extreme Security, Total Security, Global Protection, or even a 360 with a price of an antivirus, then go grab it. If all have the same low price, pick the one with more features and less system impact. And don’t forget to check my Discount Antivirus page that contains all security suites from major publishers with discount up to 50%. It’s updated regularly. Maybe you will stumble upon one of the best antivirus or internet security with very cheap price. Who knows?