Having an antivirus program is an essential part of any device. Since many people do a lot of work for their company on personal devices, it can be up to each individual to keep those devices protected from attacks. There are a ton of “free” antivirus programs out there, and some that proclaim to be antivirus, but are actually malware in disguise. It is hard to weed through all of the options to find one that is legit that will protect your device properly.
Kaspersky Lab, one of the leading providers of antivirus software, announced this week that it plans to offer a computer-protecting service for free. While they will still have a paid version with features like Parental Control, Online Payment Protection, and Secure Connection (VPN), this new free version will offer great protection for those just needing something simple.
It will be interesting to see if this free version will lead to more sales of the premium version. The freemium model seems to be working well for many software companies. The whole model takes its queue from the purported drug sales model… the first one is free to get you hooked. Once you have the antivirus installed, the other features look a little more enticing and could be an easy leap for people looking to further protect their computer.
Kaspersky claims their aim is not to drive sales to the premium version, they simply want to raise the overall level of protection on the Internet. If they happen to increase their market share in the process, then everyone wins.