IT Protect against Viruses - Essay Example

When I think of how a virus gets around on the web, I cannot help but think of the whooping cough or measles. Many years ago there were vaccines discovered that prevented these two illnesses. Children before that were very ill when they got these diseases. Many of them died. After the vaccine was discovered and children were inoculated, both diseases virtually went away. However, later on parents decided not to get these vaccines because they did not trust them and both diseases began to come back and then were spread to others one at a time in daycares.

That is the way a virus gets around in a computer group also. Not too long ago, as an example, a friend who takes care of a computer system in a hospital noticed a virus warning that kept moving around. Eventually it was everywhere. It was nearly impossible to get rid of. It got in through a computer that someone forgot to load the virus software on and that nurse had been out on the web. It was a very expensive mistake. The connection between a company's computer and home users is the same as my touching your hand and you passing me a virus.

If you had flu shot and not got the virus, you would not have passed it to me. Virus software, of course, affects network security but so does malware (infoworld.com). Many IT specialists say that these are now worse than the Trojans were and are. Malware sends in search mechanisms that get deep into the computer information and pull out personal things like all your employees security information or the company's security information. These are set up, not by hackers but by people that are out there to make a profit on your information and it only takes visiting the web at the wrong site or downloading the wrong file.

This is truly dangerous to your organization and to any of your employees that may be working from their own PC's at home. In today's world, we are all touched by computers and like keeping personal and important information that is in paper form secure, so is it important to keep information secure on the computer. We all take a huge responsibility in being connected. We can pass malware or a virus on to anyone if we are not protected ourselves and that includes things like banks and utility companies as well as our own corporations.

Who has not sent an email in to work at some time. When that happens a virus or malware could easily be passed on. Many people cannot afford the latest in antivirus software, especially when things are constantly changing (cnet.com). Many of the companies now provide continuous updates but there is always a time when you come to the end of those and have to pay. Providing free antiviral software that really works and is consistently updated could eradicate viruses just like the measles were stopped.

If the virus cannot be transferred to someone else or in this case someone else's computer, it will die. This is a very good reason for absolutely everyone with a computer to have an antiviral program that works. It protects us all so the expense is nothing compared to have a computer or a corporation full of computers go down. People make more money online right now than has ever happened before. There are more wealthy people in the world and in the United States than ever before (bbc.co). Much of that wealth has been generated due to an online business.

That wealth could disappear in a moment with the right virus and there are many out there trying to create it.