Over the years, I’ve met a great many small
business owners who thought their antivirus software was up
to date. But very few of them actually knew how to verify the date
of the last anti virus update.
You usually can find this last updated
information on various antivirus software programs by going to the
Help pull-down menu and choosing the About command.
If your antivirus software program is active or
enabled, as well it should be, you probably also can right click on
its icon in the Microsoft Windows Taskbar, at the bottom of your
screen, and choose the About or Properties command.
But Our Sales Rep Said the Software Automatically Updates
Just as important, you cannot always depend on
the software vendor’s claim that the antivirus software will
update itself automatically. Many antivirus software programs
promise automated updates but frankly do not deliver.
This means you need to know how to force or
download a manual update to the antivirus software program.
Again, my goal here is not to overlap with your
included software documentation, but rather to reinforce the
critical necessity of keeping your antivirus software current. In
most cases, you’ll find easy-to-navigate file download links on
the software vendor’s Web site, so you can update your antivirus
software.
Anti Virus Updates Action Items
Do you know how to check your antivirus
software to see the date of the last update?
What are the required antivirus software
update steps?
Who is responsible for verifying that
antivirus software on desktop PCs, notebooks and servers is being
properly updated?
Are end users given this information so
they can spot check any automated update procedures of antivirus
software running on their desktop PCs or notebooks?
Are updates to your antivirus software
supposed to be automated? Does the automation work reliably?
If antivirus software updates don't happen
automatically as expected, who downloads and installs a forced
manual update to various systems in your company?
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