Malicious Mobile Code

Antivirus Product Review

With over 50 antivirus products to choose from, it is hard, and sometimes unfair, to pick a favorite. I look for a reliable product that is easy to install, manage, update, and that fits the environment. With that said there are a handful of names that have been around in the industry for a decade or more and they have matured along with the new threats. Although this is not an inclusive list, the following vendors have proven themselves to be strong contenders in the antivirus market: McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, F-Secure, Sophos, Frisk, and Computer Associates. Any product from them is in the upper echelon of their class. Most of these vendors also have the distinction of having a wide range of products, so that the vendor that protects your desktop also protects your email server and protects your PDA.

I have used almost all of these products over the years and each is outstanding. Each also has its strengths and weaknesses. I encourage anyone looking for good antivirus software to consider these vendors. That said, I do not have room to summarize each one, but I will briefly single out one vendor as an example.

Symantec’s Norton Antivirus

Symantec's Norton AntiVirus™ is one of the most popular antivirus software packages. It has dozens of products under its Norton AntiVirus flagship, including protection for Windows, OS/2, DOS, Macintosh, Exchange (Alpha and Intel versions), Lotus Notes (NT and AS/400), Netware, corporate and personal firewalls, ...