A good antivirus program guards against malware infections and eliminates current threats, or attacks on specific computer devices, networks or entire IT systems. The programs scan websites, files, installed software, and user data for known malware types. They also monitor program behaviour to identify potential threats.
Most antivirus solutions offer multiple scanning methods, including on-access, scheduled and quick scans. On-access scans search directories that are part of the operating system as well as common file areas to look for malicious software at starting. Scheduled scans allow you to create a daily schedule, a week-long schedule or a monthly one to run a complete system scan at a certain time. Scans that are quick usually last just less than a minute and will look at the most frequently used areas of your computer, for example temporary files or the directory of your operating system.
Certain programs use heuristic detection to look for malware by looking for similar tendencies or patterns. This is a more sophisticated form of virus detection compared to signature-based detection and can detect malware that other programs fail to recognize. These advanced forms of antivirus detection may not work as well for small businesses, as they are often prone to false positives–identifying secure parts of files read review and programs as potentially harmful.
As the business world becomes more interconnected hackers are targeting businesses more frequently to collect consumer data or to create some name for themselves with hacktivism (disrupting professional systems due to social or political reasons). All businesses must have antivirus protection to guard them from cyberattacks.
