Business Choices 2023: Top Security Software and Suites for IT and Work

Computing has changed a lot over the past few years, but one thing has remained the same. That means that whether you’re at home or in the office, you need to protect your system.

It’s been several years since we asked our readers for their top picks when it comes to fighting viruses, malware, ransomware, and more on dedicated work hardware. I realized this. We’ve found repeat winners when it comes to your favorite security suite brands. New names top the list when it comes to all security software in suites and standalone programs. Check out the preferred security vendors of his PCMag readers in the business world.

Security Software and Suites for IT and Work 2023

Ask what software sole proprietors and major IT departments use to protect their digital walls, and you’ll get a list of all security solutions in place, including standalone antivirus programs and security suites. As a follow-up, we asked respondents specifically if they were using a security suite. A security suite is a much safer solution to deploy for complete protection.

This year’s overall security software winner is a surprise. Over the past few years, the award has gone to companies such as his Malwarebytes (2021 and 2019), Bitdefender (in 2019 he partnered with Malwarebytes) and Webroot (2020).But in 2023, the name at the top of the list is trend micro.

This win is a big one for Trend Micro. Two years ago, it was #7 on this list with an overall satisfaction score of 8.5 (tied with AVG). This time it’s 9.2, not the kind of spike you see in any survey. Trend Micro scores highly for ease of use (9.3, like Malwarebytes) and reliability (9.4, like Bitdefender), and 9.2 for performance (how it affects your PC’s speed). increase.

However, these draws tell a story. Trend Micro comes out on top, but its lead isn’t that big. Also, the 8.8 score is lower confidence than the Bitdefender (9.3) and Malwarebytes (9.1) scores, and the 8.6 score is again behind Bitdefender (9.1). It ranks third in the two main categories of potential recommendations. ) and Malwarebytes (9.0). This shows that Trend Micro can’t rest if it wants to be the best choice for IT and business users by this time next year.

Vendor names to avoid based on opinions from fellow readers include Avast and McAfee. The latter in particular scored low in almost every category.

When it comes to suites, the field narrows dramatically. This is because we need a minimum number of responses to include a brand. In this case, only four brands classified as a suite received sufficient responses. Microsoft is also included, but technically they don’t offer a suite. This usually includes more than the simple standalone antivirus you get with Windows Defender.

That leaves Bitdefender, Norton, and McAfee for the work PC suite.definitely the best choice bit defender,As in the past.

Bitdefender’s overall satisfaction score has dropped to 9.0 from 9.2 two years ago, and so has the recommendability score. Confidence also dropped from 9.4 to 9.3. But comparing Bitdefender’s numbers to those of his competitors, McAfee and Norton, these drops barely register. Both can outperform Bitdefender in some categories.

full result

The PCMag Business Choice 2023 survey of antivirus software and security suites will run from November 28th to December 18th, 2022. For more information on how the survey was conducted, see Survey Methodology.