I have recently been asked the question “Now that I have an external anti-virus/anti-spam filter like Postini, can I get rid of my Norton Anti-Virus subscription?” The short answer is NO. Ideally you will want both, and for the relatively minimal cost involved, having both is the only way to go to keep spam out of your in-box and keep viruses off of your computer.
Really, we are talking about two different technologies that perform different tasks. Local anti-virus applications, like Norton and McAfee, run on your computer and keep an eye on possible threats coming in from broadband internet connections, downloaded e-mail, and spy-ware type applications that can be downloaded and installed with little effort by the end-user. Most of those applications end up wreaking havoc on your computer. External anti-spam/virus applications act as an external layer of defense between your computer and email coming in to your computer. These types of applications scan e-mail before it reaches your computer, removing known spam and viruses before they have a chance to infect your computer. If you are receiving a lot of spam, external e-mail filters are excellent at identifying and removing 99% of spam from your inbox before you ever see it.
To keep your computer happy and your e-mail flowing freely, your best bet is to keep your local anti-virus/spam filter updated and running all the time and have your e-mail routed through a premium external spam/virus filter. Ask your e-mail service provider for more details on how to get external e-mail filters setup and the costs involved.
Visit our website for more information on Blizzard’s Spam/Virus Service.
Kelly Conley – Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.
