Why you still need antivirus in addition to built-in protection

Antivirus software is essential for protecting you and your device from viruses and malicious software, known as malware. But do you still need to buy third-party antivirus software if your device has antivirus built in? The answer is yes, and here we explain why.

Firstly, let’s summarise what antivirus is and why you need it.

What is antivirus and why is it important?

Antivirus software detects and removes viruses and malware that can harm your computer or laptop. In doing so, it also protects you because of the personal information you hold, knowingly or unknowingly, in your data.

Viruses are becoming more and more sophisticated. As we learn to deal with one type of virus, hackers design different types to catch us off guard, so it’s rarely obvious that a virus is threatening your device. Once you inadvertently download malware, it can steal your data, erase it forever, or encrypt it so that you can’t access it. In some cases, you must pay a ransom to retrieve it (ransomware).

Once antivirus software is installed it needs to be updated regularly to keep pace with hackers and new viruses.

In-built antivirus software

Computers and laptops are now supplied with built-in antivirus software, but these fall short of the full suite of protection that businesses need.

Windows antivirus

From Windows 10 onwards, Microsoft Defender Antivirus (also called Windows Defender) is installed on laptops and computers to protect against viruses and malware in apps, cloud storage, email and websites.

The problem with Windows Defender is its scalability for a business. As antivirus for a personal computer it may be effective, depending on how the computer is used, but when it comes to being part of a network it falls short. This is because there is no dashboard that enables you to monitor a network of devices, and there is no endpoint protection. It is also difficult to customise Windows Defender for more advanced users.

When it comes to accountability, Microsoft accepts no liability for viruses or malware. This can be off-putting for businesses that could stand to lose thousands of pounds if there is a security breach.

Phishing protection by Windows Defender is also limited to Microsoft web browsers unless you install an extension for other browsers.
Frustratingly, Windows Defender also slows down the installation of apps by up to 35%.

Mac antivirus

Mac computers have XProtect which is antivirus software that is automatically updated and checks for malicious content upon the first launch of an app or whenever it is changed.

XProtect fails to protect the Mac against PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) that have been installed with the knowledge or consent of the user. This has resulted in malware passing through undetected.

In 2020 Mac threats outpaced Windows for the first time, increasing by over 400%.

How does third party antivirus software protect my device?

Businesses need additional antivirus protection through a third-party product.

E2E Technologies are Managed IT providers. Within all of our Managed IT packages, we provide antivirus software installation and maintenance. We believe it is critically important that businesses are fully protected from viruses and malware and that this can only be done through additional antivirus software.

For all of our customers, we install Bitdefender, which is an award-winning threat prevention, detection and response platform.

Key elements of Bitdefender that are missing from built-in packages like Windows Defender and XProtect, that make it our preferred choice of antivirus software are:

• Unified endpoint security and analytics across endpoints and hybrid workloads that can be easily managed and administered
• Unmatched attack prevention that uses technologies and machine-learning models to identify and prevent cyberattacks
• Bitdefender is accountable to its users 24/7
• Advanced threat intelligence is built-in that draws on real-time research and collaborations with law enforcement agencies and academics.

Bitdefender is the ‘belt and braces’ of antivirus technology: the ultimate deterrent against threats to the security of your business.

Choose E2E as your managed IT provider for full security and protection

Get in touch with E2E  for more information on our managed IT packages, all with antivirus software as standard.