Antivirus firewall software vendors have shifted the marketing crosshairs to Small office and home (SOHO) users by providing them with alternative defense against hackers, viruses and other malwares that infect information technology. These antivirus and firewall developers offer a scaled down alternative to purchasing expensive firewall appliances and intrusion detection hardware big companies spend on.

The first part is the antivirus software which primarily responsible for detecting viruses that comes from Trojan horses, emails and worms. It does the job of periodically scanning the computer system for malicious code that could have infected it. It cleans the infected files. It also quarantines infected system resources and sends it to the vendor or developer for research and a possible solution.

The antivirus also scan incoming traffic from email, browsing activities, downloads, file transfers and network traffic for any signs of security breach. It does all this in real time. A proper antivirus firewall software engine also updates its core programming and virus database with a central server from time to time as viruses are churned by the hundred every day.

The second part is the firewall software. The task of monitoring all kinds of traffic into the system rests on this software. All computer systems communicate with each other whether via internet, local area network, vpn or wireless network using data packets. A firewall software analyzes these data for corrupted and altered packets. It drops these packets if it finds it a threat based on user-configured or heuristic scans or a set of rules. Trojan viruses sometimes cannot be detected by antivirus software but an antivirus firewall software can detect its activity and instruct the antivirus to quarantine the source.

The third part is the antispyware software. Spywares are mellowed down viruses that hide inside a computer system not to destroy it but to gather data. Even legitimate corporations are employing these strategies for their marketing campaigns. Some spywares also gather credit card details and other sensitive information which can be used for blackmail and other nefarious schemes. Antispyware software prevents this malicious code from sending out information out of a computer system with the help of the antivirus and the firewall.

When you buy a new computer you must protect your investment from malicious software programs such as viruses, worms, spyware, and trojans. These programs can cause serious damage to your computer system by erasing data or providing your sensitive data to criminals. You can help protect your personal computer by installing antivirus software to remove and prevent nasty viruses and spyware.

First you will want to consider the ease of use of the software. The average computer user is not tech savvy so you will want your antivirus software to be very user friendly. Look for features such as easy configuration as well as scanning your system on demand. The software should also automatically check for updates. A good antivirus program will also be able to remove dangerous viruses, trojans, and worms and prevent new ones from infecting your computer. If the program cannot completely remove these viruses, it should at the minimum be able to keep the virus from spreading.
It is also important to ask if the software is a system hog. Many antivirus programs can use up a lot of your computer’s resources slowing down your system. This can cause problems if you plan on running your antivirus software in the background while you continue to work. There are many good programs available that use resources more effectively. They run unnoticed in the background while you continue to work normally.