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Tech View
Cliff Miyake
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Buy security software, and be sure to add new patches
When it comes to your data, you can never be too safe or too secure.
Why? There are a lot of bad guys out there, and with the new year young (and spring cleaning not too far away), I suggest that it's time you review your Internet security.
A computer owner's duty boils down to two components: installing a software security system, and regularly updating that system.security (as well as the operating and browser software). Regarding the second point, it's easy enough to install new software, but many people do not take the time to add the new patches.
So what kind of security software should you buy?
There are a lot to choose from, and even though they seem be in the same price range (around $50), there are nuanced differences. You won't go wrong with any of the major brands such as Norton and McAfee but some of the lesser-known brands such as Kaspersky and Trend Micro also are worthy of a look.
I had a chance to road test Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro and was impressed.
I was getting regular system-error messages with the previous system, Norton Internet Security, but the error messages vanished after installing the Trend Micro program.
Was the install perfect? No. There was one issue, but it was resolved fairly expediently.
What happened is that when I first ran the virus scan with the Trend Micro program, it locked the machine up. I responded by going to support. It was after office hours but they had a "chat" system set up to talk to a support person. I got online with them but waited an hour and a half. By that time I was hungry and gave up to go have dinner.
The next day I called the 800 number (based in the Philippines) and eventually the problem was resolved after the tech-support person (Michelle) sent me a patch.
What I like about Trend Micro is that its tech support, unlike for some other companies, is free, even months after you've purchased the program.
But in any case, the point is that when it comes to keeping your precious data out of harm's way, always be vigilant.