No business can function at its best today without having good antivirus software installed on all its computers. This is a widely acknowledged fact, but the trouble is that if you don’t know that much about IT and computing, and you run your own small business, then sometimes the choice of internet security available can be a little confusing.

If you don’t want to spend any time on it, then a straightforward option is to use the antivirus software offered by your internet service provider. You need to actively choose to download it as it won’t happen automatically.

However, this isn’t your only option. On a new computer, the retailer will often offer to install their recommended antivirus package when they set it up for you. However, you can find many different antivirus software packages online and they are simple to download. You can also download a free version as a trial product before signing up to pay for a year’s subscription.

If you have more than one computer, you might be better advised to buy an antivirus software program with a multi-licence. Some companies like Kaspersky offer a multi-device licence that covers different operating systems – Windows, Macs and mobile antivirus.

As well as antivirus, the internet security suite you choose should include anti-spyware, a spam filter and firewall.

When you first download an antivirus package, it might seem to slow down the functions on your computer, and when the virus scans are running it will make using your pc tediously slow. For this reason it’s best to set the scans to run last thing at night before you shut down your computer. Once the software has been installed for a day or so, your computer should run at normal speed again. If it doesn’t, it may be that you’ve picked something that isn’t compatible with your computer system, so uninstall it and try a different one.

This is why free downloads of antivirus software are invaluable. Trialling a product for 30-60 days will give you ample time to see if they software works well for you.