Advice

If you are using Norton or McAfee for virus protection and security, you should know that there are better options.

Those two brands fell from being the best in the marketplace quite a long time ago. They are coasting on their well known names, and by being "foistware", which is software that the owners pay to have included with new computers sold to customers.

I recommend two products, one is free, the other costs a yearly fee.

The free option is "Avast", found at avast.com. You have to register the program by giving them an email address, which doesn't even have to be authentic. In a year, it will show a few popups saying your protection is about to expire, at which point you can re-register for free again.

The slightly more expensive option is Kaspersky AV. Kaspersky is a Russian company that has been rated as the most effective by many sources for a long time. They sell their licences in packs of 3, so if you have 3 computers and get a two year licence for each of them, it brings the cost down to around $15 per computer per year, which is a lot less than Norton or McAfee.

Why would you pay when there is a free option? Well, that version of Avast is for home use only - not commercial use. And, the protection provided by Kaspersky is probably slightly better.

Why is there a free version at all? By getting their software on your computer, it helps Avast in a few ways. They can try to get you to pay for it after a year passes, and it gets their name out there and more well known. Also, the more computers they have reporting potential viruses to them, the faster and more effectively they can respond. They also have a few for-pay options, but if you are going to spend money, I think Kaspersky is the better choice.

Hours of Availability

The number on this site is my cell phone, and it’s always on. If it’s important enough for you to call me at 1AM on a Tuesday, it’s a call I want to take. I can’t guarantee I’ll always answer, but it’s a goal of mine to be available to my clients when I’m needed. In general, I schedule appointments between 10AM and 7PM, which allows me to work after normal business hours.

Established clients can text me at that number if they prefer. However, I don't think it's a good idea to have the first contact with a new client through text messages. It would be much better to be introduced over the phone.

(775) 750-8698

Reno - Sparks - Carson City

ken@acecomputingreno.com