When A Deal Isn't A Deal

As some of you know, we have a computer business here in Middle TN. I have seen my share, plus some, of viruses, malware, hackers, and stolen information. I can’t tell you how many times computers come into the ICU (our shop) with anti-virus software, fully updated with tons of viruses and malware.

They got it on sale or even better a rebate that made it free. I am all for sales and rebates, too. However, the protection of my personal information isn’t going to come down to a rebate.

All anti-virus is not created equal. And price can be a big deterrent for most people. Free sounds good, right now. But what happens when you have to send your computer to our ICU or anyone’s for that matter? You pay big time. We charge $75 per hour in shop. To come to your business, it’s $120 per hour.

What happens when these hackers get your credit card number? Recently, a friend called and needed our services. He had numerous viruses and malware. His credit card information was taken and charges were incurred. Luckily, only about forty dollars was charged at a McDonald’s in Miami. It could have been a lot worse. What if the hacker had decided to go to Best Buy?

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The best way to guard against these viruses is to make sure you have a good anti-virus program. But that still isn’t good enough. You have to update the program to guard against new viruses or variations of old viruses. They change every day! These hackers are smart, so we have to keep up with them.

Window’s updates are very important, too. Do not put off updating you computer! Set it to download updates automatically. Then, schedule the installation for late at night so it will not hamper your use during the day.

All this still doesn’t mean you will be virus free forever. The anti-virus you choose can only fight what they know. New viruses come out all the time. 

We recommend Panda Anti-Virus. It’s what we use on all of our computers (8 including the server). Panda usually runs about $42-50. With this, you get a one year subscription for up to 3 computers.

The people behind the anti-virus are a major reason for our choice. Customer service is first-rate in my book. I can’t say that about a lot of companies.

Honestly, free AVG is better than nothing or McAfee for that matter. But again, one hour of labor covers the cost of good protection almost twice.

That’s what I call a good deal.