Does your free antivirus software application offer real time protection? What is meant by real time protection? Well, you can always contact the local police department and file a complaint if theft takes place in your house. Once this is done, the police will step in and will try to find the thieves and recover the stolen goods.
Can you approach the police before the theft takes place? Obviously not. There may be thousands of houses in your locality your neighborhood. How would the police function if they were to provide preventive protection for each and every house in the neighborhood?
The law enforcement authorities can operate only when a theft actually takes place. Free antivirus software applications are not offering real time protection work in the same manner. They will step in the moment you instruct a scan of your computer. The scan will identify the virus and remove it immediately. If it cannot be removed, the information will be processed and the software application or virus that is harming your computer will be quarantined.
The biggest complication here is that the antivirus will be of no use until and unless the scan is instructed. Real time protection will ensure that your computer will be scanned, cleaned and disinfected the moment any virus tries to attack the computer. The antivirus software application will not wait for the infection to take place.
On the face of it, the latter feature may seem like an obvious requirement. However, if you can enjoy free antivirus software applications with the only additional requirement of ordering a scan on a daily or weekly basis, you can save at least $70 to $100 every year.
This may be very good savings for some. In such a scenario, you should assess these requirements and plan your approach accordingly. If you use the internet very often, real time protection is essential.