Forums are full of questions like: “What is the best antivirus firewall software?”. You need to know that there is NO such thing as an antivirus firewall software; much less, the best antivirus firewall software. If you peruse the archives of this blog, you’ll find out that an antivirus and firewall software are two different programs with different purposes.

An antivirus software does three main things:

• It checks new downloads and files to see if they are viruses;
• It scans your computer every now and then for viruses; and,
• It attempts to clean or remove viruses when any are found.

A firewall, on the other hand, acts as a checkpoint at your computer’s entry points. It determines which message is allowed to pass through.

There are also Internet security suites that contain both antivirus and firewall software. (Though most only include anti-spyware and antivirus software) But while some Internet security suites contain both antivirus and firewall software, they are still different programs packaged together—not one antivirus firewall software.

So, if you reached this page searching for antivirus firewall software, please let me guide you to Internet security suites instead. They provide a more complete protection for your computer and give you a safer Internet browsing experience. As to what Internet security suite to buy, there are a lot of good programs but you can’t go wrong with these:

• Eset Nod32 Antivirus System (current favorite)
• Kaspersky Internet Security (another favorite)
• Norton Internet Security (I used to hate this but after checking around, the latest versions are actually good)
• Vipre Antivirus with Anti-spyware

So stop searching for antivirus firewall software now and go get a good Internet security suite.

Would you believe someone if he told you not to buy antivirus software? How about if that someone is a manager of an antivirus company? Yep, I’ve read somewhere (last year) that a manager of an antivirus company advised people not to buy antivirus software—including those from his company.

But before you think this guy is nuts, Let me assure you that he is right. What he was actually saying was not to buy antivirus software only because it is inadequate. According to him, you should buy antivirus software suites or Internet security suites instead.

And he is correct. Like I said in my previous post about essential security software, viruses are not the only threat to users anymore. In addition to antivirus software, you need spyware software, (more properly, anti-spyware software) and firewall software. Those are the essential security software. But If you also hate to be contacted by some long-lost relatives from Nigeria because of some estate settlement matters (amounting to Millions, I should add), I suggest you also get a good a spam blocker or spam filter. Finally, a popup blocker could also be a nice addition.

Do I buy antivirus software suites or Internet security suites? I don’t. I prefer my spyware software, antivirus software and firewall software to come from different security software companies. There are instances when security software company A updates their antivirus software more often than security software company B does, but the latter updates their anti-spyware software oftener than the former. It could also be that security software company A’s antivirus software rocks but their spyware software sucks. Another thing is that I want the flexibility to change my firewall software while retaining my anti-spyware software. Finally, Internet security suites just feel too bloated for me—specially considering that it always runs in the background.

For newbies, however, (or those who don’t want to spend too much time mixing and matching) I suggest they simply buy antivirus software suites or Internet security suites. It takes the guessing out of the equation. Anyway, Internet security suites are getting better and better than when I first tried them. So unless you know what you’re doing, buy Internet security suites instead of individual products.