Things You Should Look For in Antivirus

Most important Antivirus features:
	Scheduled Scans: Most antivirus software products will include a schedule to set when the software will automatically perform a scan. Programs vary in their flexibility of scan scheduling as well, so look for a program that will accommodate your daily schedule. Email Scanning: the program should monitor incoming and/or outgoing email traffic and file attachments. If a threat should be detected you will be notified to take action. Instant Messaging Protection: Viruses are often contracted through instant messaging programs such as AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) or Yahoo! Messenger. Some antivirus software can keep watch over instant messaging traffic to detect virus threats. Automatic Virus Updates/Program Updates: Because viruses are so rapidly and continuously developing updates to your antivirus software is incredibly important. Additionally, the program itself may be updated by the developers to increase efficiency and detection ability.

Other criteria used to evaluate anti-virus software:

Ease of Use –Exceptional anti-virus software is simple to use, regardless of a person’s computer experience or knowledge of viruses.
Effective at Identifying Viruses and Worms – The best anti-virus products identify infected files quickly through real-time scanning, searching for viruses in a multitude of sources, including email, instant message applications, web browsing and so on.
Effective at Cleaning or Isolating Infected Files –Truly capable anti-virus software thoroughly cleans, deletes or quarantines infected files—keeping them from spreading throughout the hard drive or network.
Activity Reporting – Anti-virus programs should give immediate notification of viruses found by real-time scanners and should provide an easy-to-read report of scan results, including what it found and what it did with infected files.
Feature Set – A well-rounded feature set allows anti-virus software to provide absolute protection. The best programs are those that offer a wide variety of tools, from basic real-time scanning to more advanced, heuristic scanning and script blocking—when it comes to virus protection, the more options the better.
Ease of Installation and Setup – Anti-virus programs should be a breeze to install, making it easy to go from installation to initial scan in just a couple clicks of the mouse.
Help Documentation – High-end anti-virus software come with plenty of help, including support via email, online chat or over the telephone. There should also be online resources, such as knowledge bases and FAQs available for quick and convenient help.