Articles

Articles

Articles
Articles

Managed Antivirus vs. A Yearly Subscription

Posted by Sean Huycke, Total e Works 20-03-2019 02:41 PM

We all know we need an antivirus (AV) solution but what type to buy and how much to pay for it are tough questions.

Today, many home users and home-based businesses grab a free AV solution or believe that the one Microsoft provides will do the job, until it doesn’t. So, then they are faced with making a purchasing decision on the spot and taking the one recommended by your local IT Company or choosing to do it on-line at home.

Being proactive is a good idea. A growing trend these days is the managed AV solution with a monthly or quarterly fee. Why would you consider this as an option vs buying the yearly subscription? Well for starters your upfront cost is much lower, and the annual cost of the solution usually work out to be about the same. Why not pay the price of a coffee monthly versus the cost of a monthly internet bill annually? When going the yearly subscription route, you get those annoying annual reminders, you need to set time aside to actually go through the renewal, install, and go through a full machine scan if you’ve renewed after the renewal date.  With a managed AV solution your credit card is billed monthly and your AV never expires (unless you don’t pay your bill). Your software is always kept up to date protecting you against the latest threats. 

Also, your IT provider is monitoring your desktop for any strange occurrences and will be able to send you notifications to update your operating system when necessary. It’s like having your own AV guardian angel. You can expect to pay anywhere from $3.50/month to $7.00 depending on how involved a solution you want. You don’t get that with your annual subscription.

Managed AV is a set it and forget it solution. It will always be there for you and so will your IT solution partner.

Sean Huycke, Total e Works.