There’s no question that virus protection software has undergone significant changes since it first came to market when the Internet was in its infancy. It has evolved as society has become ever more connected & reliant on the Internet to run our daily lives and businesses. For example, Anti-Virus now includes elements of machine learning and behavioural analysis to help understand how users interact with their devices and to help spot new threats.

In reality though, Anti-Virus is still often only reactive in nature. Recent events such as the high profile ‘Wannacry’ ransomware attack on the NHS, which evaded traditional Anti-Virus protection to affect more than 400,000 devices, has left some questioning whether or not Anti-Virus has evolved enough. What once was a default, now seems to be just one part of multi layered security practice.

Is Anti-Virus Still an Adequate Means of Defence?

The answer in short is yes, but it should not be the only one. When it comes down to it, traditional Anti-Virus software is only one of an assortment of tools that should be used for protecting your computer and other devices, especially as the threat landscape changes every day. Now Anti-Virus, has become Anti Malware with a multitude of features including firewalls, ransomware protection etc.

Perhaps the biggest shift is not in the capabilities of Anti-Virus, but in how IT service providers are thinking about how security is offered. A comprehensive solution that covers all of your cyber security needs, in the most efficient way possible, is the new ideal in helping to protect against the possibilities of cyber crime.

So, What Are the Limitations of Anti-Virus?

There is a sense of dependency that has associated itself with Anti-Virus, in that users expect and rely on it to do everything and fully protect their business critical systems. However, this is not reality and as with everything, it does have limitations that businesses need to be aware of.

A major problem is in how users approach the software, for example ignoring reminders to complete regular updates & scans or even becoming impatient at the length of time it takes to fully scan the multitude of different applications & files and as a result, cancelling the process. Or what is even more common, ignoring reminders to update your overall operating system and thus making your device even more vulnerable.

Staff training is important, to make sure that you get the most out of the protection you are deploying and ensure that employees aren’t unwittingly compromising the safety of your company - this is a business issue and not an IT one.

However, the biggest limitation of Anti-Virus for most businesses, is that it is largely reactive, and will not help in recovering business critical data should the worst happen. It may be important to consider some form of back up facility as part of a multi-layered solution, hardware can be replaced but it is loss of data that is often cited as the main consequence of cyber-attacks.

What’s Next for Anti-Virus?

Organisations and IT service providers need to embrace the evolution of Anti-Virus and utilise it as part of complete endpoint protection. When you consider the cost of a data breach, estimated at around £1,380 for small businesses, Anti-Virus software is a small price to pay to protect your business from the potentially damaging consequences of cyber crime.

Atlas now offer a multi-layered cyber security product, in a single pay per month package with Anti-Virus at its core, to find out more about LockIT click here.