Some of the best computer protection software is free. If you do an Internet search for free malware protection software you will find Malwarebytes,Avira,Avast,and AVG to be some of the best and most popular free programs available. I have tried them all and keep coming back to AVG free for persoanl use. The free programs use the same scan engine used in the commercial products and they all provide (except Malwarebytes) daily updates and scheduled scanning. They also provide free malware removal tools. I have also been using ZoneAlarm for many years since Miicrosoft didn’t provide any firewall protection with Windows XP and when they finally did it only blocked inbound threats. So if you infected while browsing you personal information could leave your computer and you would never be notified. Today most malware protection programs provide additional protection that includes firewall,email,and website scanning. All malicious programs include malware,viruses,spyware,data mining,and any other types of programs that could cause problems for users.
Windows has always been the weak link in the IT industry. Therefore over the years many large companies have migrated to Linux and for many good reasons. Linux is reliable,high performing,not as prone to malware infections,and you to own the code. Owning the code allows companies can customize and modify Linux for their own use. Even Google who has the money to run any operating system they want has chosen Linux to run their large data centers with several thousand computers each.
Data backup has also evolved over the years to include the Cloud. Now you can find services that will backup your data automatically over the Internet for a reasonable monthly fee. I still like to control my off site data storage with either flash drive,external drives,and tape disks,but the convenience of Cloud services and demanding schedules these backup services are becoming more popular.
Imaging has also become popular in computer lab and organizations with many computers. Free tools,such as,Partimage and CloneZilla are very popular. These tools can completely restore a computer in minutes whci can save a large organization huge amounts of time.
You might also try the website Free Malware for some additional information that you might find useful.
