Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.44 2014.07.01 Takahashi Minoru

Should you buy antivirus software or not?

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


“Which antivirus software is best for my computer?”
is one of the questions we receive most often.
Our stance is that “there’s no need to buy it unless specifically required by an external party,”
when we are asked this question.


When asked for our opinion on virus protection or security,
people tend to lean toward the "more is better" side.


This is due to the following reasons:
・We cannot take responsibility if that person or company suffers damage from a virus
・The possibility of feeling responsible for giving poor advice if a virus infection occurs
・The interests of those selling security products (sales)


As mentioned above, since people expressing opinions have their own perspectives,
the current reality is that security discourse inevitably leans toward the “more protective” side.


"Should you wear a helmet when riding a bicycle?"
If asked,
"If you can wear one, there’s nothing better for safety,"
—a situation similar to why anyone would likely give that answer.


Based on the real-world examples and experiences we’ve gathered,
there is no evidence that "installing security software was helpful,"
and we have never heard of any such cases.


We do have experience with virus outbreaks and dealing with them,
but in every single case, it was one where
(such as servers being mistakenly exposed to the public or visiting dangerous websites).


In our opinion,
unless specifically required by business partners or banks,
there is no need to install antivirus software.


Rather than that, we believe it is more important to cultivate the awareness and establish and adhere to operational rules
and adhering to established operational rules.


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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