As part of our Tech Blog Series, our team has compiled some of the most useful tech-related information in our arsenal to help your firm run at its most efficient level. In this post, you will find a guide for purchasing an antivirus software system. Along with firewall software and good password practices, anti-virus software is an essential part of your firms cyber protection. Anti-virus software is available in many forms, ranging in price, capacity, and capability. Which should you choose, and how much should you pay? We aim to answer those and more questions below: Capacity The most important factor in choosing any software for your firm is capacity. Make sure any software you purchase for your office is capable of supporting all of your computers and employees. Many anti-virus software companies offer a variety of products that are separated by their user capacity. Be sure to choose the one that fits the structure of your firm. Efficiency Most anti-virus software will take up a lot of resources on your computer. Look for a program that will be effective at protecting your computer from malware, adware, and viruses while not slowing it down. To evaluate how well software can detect harmful files on your computer, consult some of the leading third-party testing companies such as AV-Comparatives.org, Virus Bulletin, and AV-Test.org. These sites are trusted in the industry, and, software companies typically seek certificates from one of these sites. You can trust software with a certificate from any one of these three testing services. Be warned, however, that software with these certifications come at a higher price point. Interface Once you have narrowed down your choices in terms of capacity and efficiency, the final determination should be based on the interface of the software. Anti-virus software is highly customizable, and it is important that you are comfortable with the way the program works. Anti-virus software is meant to destroy any threats present on your computer, but they can be over-zealous in this effort. Therefore, it is important to be able to customize your protection in order to avoid deleting files that may be important. Most, if not every anti-virus software offers a free trial. Once you narrow your choices down to a few different programs, test them out to see which one you are most comfortable with in terms of price and ease of use. To help you out with your initial search, see this short article from PCMag. It contains the top anti-virus software on the market, along with links to reviews and specifications.