Save Money and Protect your PC with Microsoft Security Essentials
Antivirus and Antimalware software can be a large expense for any small church or ministry group, costing hundreds of dollars a year. If you are like me, you would rather be spending that money to further the kingdom of Christ and not on protecting your computers from malicious hackers. Microsoft has released version 2.0 of their fantastic antivirus/antimalware tool, Microsoft Security Essentials, and I highly recommend this tool to everyone, whether it be for your home or office computer. Microsoft has granted in their license for 100% free use for all of your home based computers, and up to 10 free copies in any small business. I have not been able to find their terms of use for non-profit organizations, but for most of us 10 licenses is plenty for our churches.
Over the years, I have tried just about every free and commercial antivirus software available; in my day job I manage a corporate antivirus system which cost thousands of dollars a year for licensing alone and provides nearly the same protection that Microsoft is offering for free. For the purpose of this site we will only focus on the free or low cost solutions. In the past I have used AVG, Avast, and other now defunct free antivirus that provided at least a basic layer of coverage, but none can compare with MSE. Let me add that I am not a Microsoft “fan boy” in fact, I use Linux and other alternatives to Microsoft software every chance I get. So, to say that I think MSE is the best antivirus product on the market says a lot.
In the latest release, Microsoft has enhanced their malware detection engine which does not rely on solely on definitions, but also looks for characteristics of a malware infection and protects against unknown risk. No antivirus/antimalware software is going to be 100% effective, but MSE gives you the best chance at stopping infections before they happen.
The installation process is straight forward simply go to Microsoft Security Essentials download page and run the executable. I should note that if you have any previous antivirus products you will want to remove them before installing a new one. It is never a good idea to use more than one product. To uninstall your old product you will need to go to Control Panel and either Add/Remove Programs, or Programs, depending on your version of Windows. Find your product in the list and select to remove it.
By using MSE on all of your ministry computers you can save yourself hundreds, or even thousands of dollars that can be much better used by your organization.
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