IT Wiser

Security Essentials Not So Secure - Maybe It's Time to Move Up to Cloud Antivirus?

Using Cloud Antivirus can stop potentially harmful and serious exploits at the cloud server before they reach your PC or network. We think this is a safer solution for businesses than relying on less dependable PC or network-based antivirus solutions, some of which are clearly not up to the mark.

Security concerns have long been the elephant in the room at Microsoft. And although the Redmond, USA based company, has gone to great lengths to try to repair its security image, the latest news from independent IT security institute AV-Test shows there's still quite a way to go. The most recent ratings by the institute have resulted in Microsoft losing its AV-Test certification for Security Essentials.

Security Essentials is Microsoft's free anti-virus suite for home users. Recent testing showed only a 64% success rate in protecting computers against zero-day threats. The industry average is 89%.

AV-Test runs its benchmark testing every other month and assigns grades in 18 areas. Microsoft's latest overall grade for security Essentials came in at a meagre 1.5 out of 5. Such a low grade suggests Microsoft's overall attempts at secure computing environments might be suspect. Both home users and corporate IT managers may now need to look at other solutions.

Cloud Antivirus is one of those solutions worth serious consideration. Cloud Antivirus offers better protection than Security Essentials for not only individual machines, but also across entire networks when deployed for that purpose. Furthermore, it has received significantly higher scores for overall protection than Security Essentials and other competitors.

As for Security Essentials, AV-Test certification was also lost in the third quarter of 2010 when it did not meet the minimum threshold. The track record of Security Essentials suggests there are better alternatives out there, especially for cloud and network security management.