So, Windows 10 comes with it’s own built in security! Great, that means I don’t need any extra anti virus or internet security software – right?
I get asked this question a lot. My answer usually is that one should always make sure you are as protected as you can be. Yes, windows 10 does have good built in security, but the constant quest to keep your computer safe and out of the cyber criminals hands is and always has been a two horse race. Many people choose free security software and that is fine, but if you want better, consider these.
Windows 10 will not complain if you install an internet security program, it will happily work with it, this brings me to my second point. I’m often asked which security programs I recommend, there are two in the ‘Paid for arena’. Eset and Sophos.
Over the 20 years that I have been repairing computers two things stand out. The first is that those people who have a good, paid for internet security package tend to have fewer problems. When I do a site visit and check the computer for malicious software I often find that there is none or what there is has little of no effect on the machine. The second thing I find is that these two programs, Eset and Sophos tend to be very robust and not break.
What I mean by this is that the programs themselves don’t go wrong. I have been on many house calls where other popular and what we call ‘bundled’ (came preinstalled with the computer) security software has actually malfunctioned for some reason, and gone unnoticed by the owner. This then often involves fully stripping out the existing, malfunctioning software and reinstalling it, then updating it. I have not even mentioned the bit where the computer owner may have forgotten their password for the online account area of their security software provider – we can deal with that too.
My other annoyance with other brands is the constant up-sell. All of the free ones do it which is fair enough but there are two in particular that are always trying to sell you the next level. Driver updates, VPN etc. From my experience a great many people have no idea what these things are anyway. So, save yourself the hastle and grab one of these Eset or Sophos. They just stay in the background doing their job.
Sophos is a little different in that it incorporates an online control centre where one can log in and see the status of all computers covered under the account and carry out admin tasks.
Here is the heads up;
Sophos provides cover for Windows computers, laptops and Mac. A full licence will cover up to 10 machines – mobile phones are covered and it’s called ‘Sophos Intercept X’, Android, IOS – you can find them in the app store. Eset is much the same but on their website one can choose how many devices to cover, as you add devices the cost increases accordingly. I am not sure if the Sophos Intercept X would be a separate mobile subscription or not – I will try and find out.
I have been a customer of Sophos security for three years in a row now to protect my families computers. For my mobile phone I use Eset smart security purchased via the Play Store on the phone. I don’t have a preference over Eset for my phone or Sophos for the computers – that is just the way it happened. Sophos have given me a discounted annual renewal as a loyalty which is nice, I think last year was less than £40 for all the families computers, very good value in my opinion. My mobile Eset subscription is paid for via my Google account and is about £11.99 a year.
Lets have a deeper explore of the reasons you may not need a VPN. Tom Scott knows a thing or two about computer science and cyber security, his video is well worth watching while you drink your coffee.
