'Save that money,' says Andy Ellis, Chief Security Officer with Akamai, a company that helps websites deliver content on the internet. Much of the money they're spending is better spent somewhere else, such as analyzing the mountains of data logged by software on computer networks for signs of attack. Those folks simply have no choice but to pay the Symantecs and McAfees of the world.īut according to some, businesses should probably spend less on antivirus and other security software.
Second, companies often must have desktop security software to meet industry regulations, such as the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard. First of all, it's a line of defense protecting employees who do the stupid things that the security experts tell us to avoid: clicking on dubious attachments, visiting untrustworthy websites.
Consumers and small businesses can get good antivirus software for free, but do businesses even need antivirus software?
