"You Don't Really Need an Anti-Virus App Anymore"

[TechLady]

So here we go again, another article claiming antivirus is no longer necessary.

https://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/you-dont-really-need-an-anti-virus-app-anymore-1793366446

Windows 10 and Windows Defender is enough.

 

[sapphirescales]

Windows 10 and Windows Defender is enough.

Yeah, maybe if you actually know what you're doing with a computer and you don't visit any shady websites. And you have an ad blocker. But the average computer illiterate person? They manage to infect themselves with even the best protection available. Just sending them out the door with Windows Defender? Yeah, most people would be in at least once a month, and some would need a cleaning every single day.

 

[Mr. Ingram's Computer Repair & Shoppe]

Let them uninstall all their anti-virus protection. That's $100+tax per device for me!

 

[red12049]

Yeah, maybe if you actually know what you're doing with a computer and you don't visit any shady websites. And you have an ad blocker. But the average computer illiterate person? They manage to infect themselves with even the best protection available. Just sending them out the door with Windows Defender? Yeah, most people would be in at least once a month, and some would need a cleaning every single day.

And that is exactly the point. If you're getting infected and re-infected with "the best protection available", then what the hell good is it? Do you charge your customers less if they have that "best protection"?

I've spoken about this before. No one protection app protects against everything, or even close. Malwarebytes anti exploit is moving in that direction, I'm keeping an eye on it. Until then? Windows Defender, as I refuse to recommend any paid protection.

Rick

 

[Diggs]

Hmmm.... Several medium sized businesses (200-500 seats) in this area have dumped Avast and Kaspersky to run with just Windows Defender. Each say they done a bunch of research and testing and this is the way they want to go.

 

[Mr. Ingram's Computer Repair & Shoppe]

Hmmm.... Several medium sized businesses (200-500 seats) in this area have dumped Avast and Kaspersky to run with just Windows Defender. Each say they done a bunch of research and testing and this is the way they want to go.

Avast was great until it auto-installed "Avast Safe-Zone browser" on literally every customer computer. I had SO MANY angry customers because programs were being installed without permission.

I no longer recommend Avast free for customer computers (I still do use their boot-time scan in the back though)

 

[Diggs]

Avast was great until it auto-installed "Avast Safe-Zone browser" on literally every customer computer. I had SO MANY angry customers because programs were being installed without permission.

I no longer recommend Avast free for customer computers (I still do use their boot-time scan in the back though)

...and then I remind them they are using free software. - I'm not overly thrilled with Avast but I find no other I can tailor the way I want with no pop-ups, no sound and that are lean and mean like Avast.

 

[JoeTech]

Hmmm.... Several medium sized businesses (200-500 seats) in this area have dumped Avast and Kaspersky to run with just Windows Defender. Each say they done a bunch of research and testing and this is the way they want to go.

The pessimist in me thinks there testing was flawed because windows defender is the cheapest, laziest solution and that is why in their mind it is the way to go. Looks like you might have a lot more work coming your way soon lol.

 

[sapphirescales]

And that is exactly the point. If you're getting infected and re-infected with "the best protection available", then what the hell good is it? Do you charge your customers less if they have that "best protection"?

I've spoken about this before. No one protection app protects against everything, or even close. Malwarebytes anti exploit is moving in that direction, I'm keeping an eye on it. Until then? Windows Defender, as I refuse to recommend any paid protection.

Rick

That's like not recommending you have an airbag and a seatbelt because it doesn't guarantee you won't die when you crash. Fatal car crashes still exist today, but cars are safer with seatbelts and airbags than without them. Running Defender is like driving around in a car without an airbag. Seatbelts are fine, sure. But if you crash, you're going to want a seatbelt and an airbag.

 

[HFultzjr]

Some people like Windows Defender because it doesn't nag them. Almost NEVER! Even when they get a virus, it won't nag them (let them know?).................................LOL.
Blinders on, what I see can't hurt me!
$$$$$

 

[TAPtech]

Yeah.. I have some users (seems to be most prevalent if they're using Safari) where I tell them to go to my remote support website. I say "When you click the link, it will download a file. Please open that file and allow it to run." I swear they just look at the page and say "it's not running." They don't understand how to open a downloaded file. No clue. Those people need A/V on their damn toasters.

 

[HFultzjr]

Yeah.. I have some users (seems to be most prevalent if they're using Safari) where I tell them to go to my remote support website. I say "When you click the link, it will download a file. Please open that file and allow it to run." I swear they just look at the page and say "it's not running." They don't understand how to open a downloaded file. No clue. Those people need A/V on their damn toasters.

That's not an issue.......by the time I would have said "open the file and allow it to run", they would have already clicked on 1/2 dozen other links......................LOL
Click, click, click.

 

[gadgetfixup]

We recommend and sell 10-20 KIS subscriptions a week earning $30.49 an install. We add customers that purchase KIS to a mail list that sends them an email 60 days before they expire (and a couple more if they don't respond) reminding them we'll renew their subscription for $49.99 and perform a free tune-up while their system is in the shop for the renewal. We offer a 4 hour turn around for this service and found about 1/2 of our subscribers take us up on the offer.

So even at just 10 subscribers a week, that's $15,245 net profit in a year. Throw the 250 renewals on top and that's another $7,622.50 annual net profit on top of your new subscription sales. This doesn't include upsell work you get because you discover their hard drive is failing or some fans are noisy, etc. Another benefit we've seen is typically they'll bring in a second or third device because we're using a bit of "top of the mind" marketing.

As far as what do you do if they get reinfected after following your recommendation, we try to figure out where they went wrong and fix the problem. Educated the customer, maybe install an ad-blocker and explain how it works, etc. We, of course, offer a free clean up if they followed our recommendations and still got infected again. This accounts for about 2-3 free clean-outs a year which are stupid simple. We're not passing up $22K in annual revenue because of a couple clean-outs.

We run KIS ourselves and still get 2-3 emails a week with malicious attachments. I'm not sure Defender even scans incoming POP3 emails.

 

[trevm999]

Yeah.. I have some users (seems to be most prevalent if they're using Safari) where I tell them to go to my remote support website. I say "When you click the link, it will download a file. Please open that file and allow it to run." I swear they just look at the page and say "it's not running." They don't understand how to open a downloaded file. No clue. Those people need A/V on their damn toasters.

And then if you put screenshots on your website showing how to open the file, they click the screenshots instead of doing it on their own computer

 

[TechLady]

That's like not recommending you have an airbag and a seatbelt because it doesn't guarantee you won't die when you crash. Fatal car crashes still exist today, but cars are safer with seatbelts and airbags than without them. Running Defender is like driving around in a car without an airbag. Seatbelts are fine, sure. But if you crash, you're going to want a seatbelt and an airbag.

^^^ THIS

 

[TechLady]

And then if you put screenshots on your website showing how to open the file, they click the screenshots instead of doing it on their own computer

Lol, yes...I've literally had people do that.

I find no other I can tailor the way I want with no pop-ups, no sound and that are lean and mean like Avast.

Agreed. You just have to make some adjustments. I had a client last week that had a new computer that was running like molasses, like it had a dying hard drive with 100 rootkits on it. I removed Kaspersky and traded it out for Avast...lo and behold it was fine. He was so sick of it he getting ready to go out and buy a new computer.

 

[Rocco]

Honestly, I run Kaspersky on my business computer and on my daughter laptop. But, I don't run anything in my personal computer. I think I have had 1 virus in 2 years, and it was easily cleaned.

For customers, I do still sell AV. Kaspersky is awesome for me, because they will pay half my fee to clean a computer if I had sold Kaspersky to them. I think in 5 years, I have only had 2 of these. Both customers I have been able to only charge them half the cleaning cost. Which is a huge selling point when pitching Kaspersky. I offer no guarantees or reduced prices if they buy another program, because I do not sell another program.

 

[red12049]

That's like not recommending you have an airbag and a seatbelt because it doesn't guarantee you won't die when you crash. Fatal car crashes still exist today, but cars are safer with seatbelts and airbags than without them. Running Defender is like driving around in a car without an airbag. Seatbelts are fine, sure. But if you crash, you're going to want a seatbelt and an airbag.

Perhaps you should ask Takata about fatal airbags... Besides, airbags are mandated by law, and come with the car. You don't go out and "guess" which airbag is best, and then pay for it, and its' installation.

Given what my customers get infected with, and the vast variety of AV on their systems, Defender works as well as any paid AV for them.

In the "real world" when was the last time Norton's firewall did a single thing to protect one of your customers, vs. borking their internet connection? If it does no good, then it's just another "shiny thing" to attract less knowledgeable customers. Not much different than a PUP, in my opinion. Why would I recommend that crap?

Rick

 

[TechLady]

 

[Morrison5891]

Anti-Virus software, spyware, etc...

Personally, I've never used any. For consumers and business ... Really doesn't matter. If you're connected to the internet, you will be infected at some point. Doesn't matter. I like when I hear people say, don't use internet explorer, don't use Firefox, don't use blah, blah, blah.... Again, it doesn't matter.