Endpoint vs Micro SE

[Pullo Vision]

Most computer stuff is completely over my head. Debating antivirus for new computer- Semantec Endpoint and Microsoft Security Essentials. Thoughts on which is better?

[Steelersfan]

I don't know much about Semantec Endpoint but I use Msft Security Essentials and am very happy with it.

[BeRanDone]

I used to use Avast freeware and it did the job very well. I know others who swear by AVG, which I tried for a little.

Back in November, I made the ultimate antivirus upgrade and bought a Macbook Pro.

[skip]

First off, it is a myth than viruses do not exist on the MacOS. The primary difference is that the registry is so protected and inaccessible save to a handful of people at Apple that infections are much easier to remove.

Second, I use MSSE as it has the lowest overhead (CPU and memory usage) of pretty much every AV in the market. I used to be an AVG user and never was a fan of Avast.

At the end of the day, choosing an AV software is much like choosing the manufacturer of a PC or a car...everyone is going to have an opinion.

[BeRanDone]

First off, it is a myth than viruses do not exist on the MacOS. The primary difference is that the registry is so protected and inaccessible save to a handful of people at Apple that infections are much easier to remove.

I knew my comment would get a response . I never said that viruses didn't exist on OSX though... The idea of antivirus is to lessen your chances of your computer encountering any viruses. Since OSX innately does that, it's a form of antivirus in theory, is it not?

[skip]

First off, it is a myth than viruses do not exist on the MacOS. The primary difference is that the registry is so protected and inaccessible save to a handful of people at Apple that infections are much easier to remove.

I knew my comment would get a response . I never said that viruses didn't exist on OSX though... The idea of antivirus is to lessen your chances of your computer encountering any viruses. Since OSX innately does that, it's a form of antivirus in theory, is it not?

Viruses are more common the PC due to the design of the OS as well as the more wide-spread use of them than of the Mac. Most don't know that there actually is also a "built-in" AV software in the MacOS as well.

Every system is at risk regardless of what AV you run which is why I use the one which has the least overhead. Think of an AV software in the same way as getting a vaccine. A vaccine's design is to protect against known threats/risks, but it cannot be designed against an unknown risk. So if a new strain of a virus goes wild, people can get infected regardless of their prevention efforts. A computer is the same way. Today there will be someone releasing a new infection into the "wild" of the internet. It takes time (hours, days, sometimes weeks) for AV companies to gather enough information to make the necessary changes to their software & database to block that infection. In the meantime, systems will get infected.

[BeRanDone]

Viruses are more common the PC due to the design of the OS as well as the more wide-spread use of them than of the Mac. Most don't know that there actually is also a "built-in" AV software in the MacOS as well.

Every system is at risk regardless of what AV you run which is why I use the one which has the least overhead. Think of an AV software in the same way as getting a vaccine. A vaccine's design is to protect against known threats/risks, but it cannot be designed against an unknown risk. So if a new strain of a virus goes wild, people can get infected regardless of their prevention efforts. A computer is the same way. Today there will be someone releasing a new infection into the "wild" of the internet. It takes time (hours, days, sometimes weeks) for AV companies to gather enough information to make the necessary changes to their software & database to block that infection. In the meantime, systems will get infected.

Very well said. The analogy got me thinking of Resident Evil and The Walking Dead though.

[skip]

Viruses are more common the PC due to the design of the OS as well as the more wide-spread use of them than of the Mac. Most don't know that there actually is also a "built-in" AV software in the MacOS as well.

Every system is at risk regardless of what AV you run which is why I use the one which has the least overhead. Think of an AV software in the same way as getting a vaccine. A vaccine's design is to protect against known threats/risks, but it cannot be designed against an unknown risk. So if a new strain of a virus goes wild, people can get infected regardless of their prevention efforts. A computer is the same way. Today there will be someone releasing a new infection into the "wild" of the internet. It takes time (hours, days, sometimes weeks) for AV companies to gather enough information to make the necessary changes to their software & database to block that infection. In the meantime, systems will get infected.

Very well said. The analogy got me thinking of Resident Evil and The Walking Dead though.

I have been using this analogy for over 3 years with the customers I deal with who just don't understand how what they have can't fully protect them. In almost all cases, infections are self-inflicted based on user behavior on the PC (clicking those nice email links, types of web sites they visit, peer-to-peer software, etc.). And amazingly almost no one seems to know how it got on the machine...and the ones that do completely acknowledge that they were "doing something I shouldn't have been doing". People are funny.