Re: Virus protection (advice :P)

[FadedOne]

Most of the people who read the tech section will know this, but hey...I feel compelled!

I've been working Network Support at my college on & off for a few days. We get some crazy problems on these computers. Mostly just handling getting people hooked up to the 'net here, but man...the #1 big problem we have is that people install the version of Virus Protection we require(Mcafee 8.0 virus enterprise) on top of whatever they already have on their computer. NOT GOOD. 'causes all hell to break loose.

Now, i'm not sure whether this is just a ..Mcafee is annoying & fussy....thing or if it's across the board, but my OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION is that if any of you install virus protection on your computers, make sure you check to see what else you're using & disable/uninstall first! You dont want your computer blue-screening, crashing, running molasses slow when two different scanners conflict.

This has been a public service announcement.

[TurkishMonky]

I think mcAffe = bad... maybe not everyone sees it that way, but htere are too many bad things that happen to mcaffe computers.. like when it started randomly deleting windows files for an hour on a bad patch, or the fact that it msses 80% of new viruses... i'd reccomend somthing else, personally.

[FadedOne]

^ ha yea...i heard about taht too. Honestly, i'm not particularly fond of what i've seen with mcafee. However, it's what the college requires & being part of that dept(however temporarily) I figure i'll stick behind 'em. But it does see Mcafee has some flaws..for example the weird issue we keep having where the program wont update itself & has to be manually patched. good grief. ah well.

[Mithrandir]

However, it's what the college requires & being part of that dept(however temporarily) I figure i'll stick behind 'em.

That's wise. I've worked in IT groups (in one form or another) for about a decade now, and it's much smoother sailing when everyone is on the same page.

If you feel the need to make a change, you might suggest reviewing the package. Good Information Sytems personnel know that the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is an on-going process. Just because you use this system now, doesn't mean it's the best. If a review of the needs assessment shows that McAffee isn't working the way it should, then the product should be changed.

That being said, the number one reason things DON'T get done correctly is that someone ultimately made that decision. That person probably feels they have something to proove by sticking to it. If you get strong resistance to voiced concerns, drop it with a quick, "Well, you're the expert" and let it go at that. It's pretty much NEVER a good idea to cross your boss.