South Africa's leading Internet service provider (ISP), MWEB, has signed a deal with international online security company, McAfee, to provide virus protection free of charge to its customers.
MWEB is the first ISP in South Africa to offer free anti-virus and firewall software.
"With the rate of virus infections on the increase in SA, choosing the correct security partner was crucial. McAfee is experienced in servicing large ISPs, has a proven international track record with its award-winning security products and is one of the top international choices for virus protection and firewalls," says Andre Joubert, general manager of MWEB Business.
"The introduction of the free virus protection facility is the natural next step in our service offering evolution. Since our inception, MWEB has protected customers' e-mail inboxes from viruses and spam, and we are now able to offer protection for their PCs as well.
"Viruses can cause havoc by damaging files, deleting information and ultimately crashing PCs," said Joubert. "Internet users are part of a global online community and can therefore be vulnerable to attacks, especially those with always-available services such as ADSL. The free anti-virus software will help users monitor, identify and halt these viral threats," he said.
MWEB's free Total Protection service, powered by McAfee, offers benefits such as managed anti-virus, including the scanning of incoming and outgoing e-mails, firewall protection, as well as a managed spyware service.
In addition to installing reputable anti-virus software, Joubert also recommends that businesses follow these steps to prevent computers from becoming infected:
* Keep your operating system (eg Windows) up to date with the latest security updates via Microsoft's Windows Update function. This will provide additional protection against unwanted virus and security attacks to your computers.
* Keep your anti-virus virus software up to date.
* Don't view or run any software - whether from the Internet, e-mail or CD-ROM - from an untrustworthy or unknown source.
The McAfee Total Protection software is free to MWEB premium subscribers and is available as a download via the MWEB Business portal, tailored for Windows 2000 operating systems and better. Support is readily available in the form of automatic updates, basic virus troubleshooting, firewall configuration and advanced settings.
"The Internet has created limitless opportunities but has also opened up our businesses to a variety of complex threats," said Joubert. "The partnership between MWEB and McAfee to offer free virus protection for our customers is intended to offer peace of mind to our customers."
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