Cloud-based Antivirus Vs Traditional Antivirus - It’s a Showdown!
When it comes to cybersecurity, antivirus is the first line of defense for our systems against malware and other cyber threats. But with so many options available, it can be difficult to determine which antivirus is right for you. Two of the most popular options are cloud-based and traditional antivirus software. In this article, we'll compare the two and see which one comes out on top.
What is Traditional Antivirus Software?
Traditional antivirus software is installed locally on your computer, and it scans your system for malware and viruses. It also provides features like firewalls, email security, and web filtering to protect your system. It's been around for decades and is a familiar choice for cybersecurity.
What is Cloud-based Antivirus Software?
Cloud-based antivirus software is a newer technology that operates from a remote data center. It uses cloud resources to analyze and protect your system against malware and other cyber threats. It offers similar features to traditional antivirus software, with the added benefit of real-time updates and improved scalability.
Comparison
Let's compare the two based on performance, security, and cost.
Performance
Traditional antivirus software relies on your computer's memory and processing power to run scans, which can slow down your system. Cloud-based antivirus software, on the other hand, offloads the heavy lifting to remote servers, making it less resource-intensive. As a result, it leaves more system resources free for other tasks.
Security
In terms of security, both traditional and cloud-based antivirus software offer reliable protection. However, cloud-based antivirus software provides real-time updates from the cloud, which makes it more effective against new and emerging threats. It also comes with the added benefit of centralized management, making it easier to maintain and update.
Cost
Traditional antivirus software is sold as a one-time purchase or a subscription service, with prices starting around $30-40 per year. Cloud-based antivirus software is usually offered as a subscription-based service, starting around $10-15 per month. While it may seem like cloud-based software is more expensive, it often comes with additional features such as centralized management, real-time monitoring, and automatic updates.
Conclusion
Both cloud-based and traditional antivirus software have their strengths and weaknesses. However, based on our comparison, we can conclude that cloud-based antivirus software is slightly better than traditional antivirus software in terms of performance, security, and cost. It provides real-time updates, requires fewer system resources, and is easier to manage.
Regardless of which type of antivirus software you choose, it's important to keep in mind that no antivirus can provide 100% protection against all threats. Therefore, additional cybersecurity measures are necessary to ensure your system's safety.
Stay safe out there, folks!
References
- Hodson, H. (2019). Cloud-Based vs. Traditional Antivirus. [online] ITPro Today. Available at: https://www.itprotoday.com/cloud-security/cloud-based-vs-traditional-antivirus [Accessed 14 May 2022].