Anti-virus protection: too little, too late?

Even without a PhD in computer science, everybody knows that an anti-virus software package is essential to protect a business's IT infrastructure. It is also true that many anti-virus packages that are on offer are generally quite similar, and that onslaughts like the recent one by MyDoom is impossible to prevent until you have downloaded the relevant patch, right? Wrong! Anti-virus software is essential, yet buying anti-virus software today can be like buying insurance after the house has burned down. The vast majority of anti-virus products that are currently available in the market, under the best names, offer partial protection at best.

The beginning of the year saw two major worm viruses, Bagle and MyDoom, causing havoc among computers the world over. The total economic damage from all types of digital risk manifestation in 2003 - the worst year on record - was estimated to be between $185 bn and $226 bn worldwide - an enormous proportion of which can be attributed to virus outbreaks. The sad thing is, many of these infected computers were protected by anti-virus software of some kind. So the question is raised: "Why does anti-virus software allow these viruses to pass and infect so many companies?"

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