Like everything hosted in the cloud by service providers, antivirus software can also be hosted partially via an external location. It’s just “partially” because cloud-based antivirus software allows you to have both client and web service components that work together.
Cloud antivirus software’s web service component “does most of its processing elsewhere on the Internet rather than on your hard drive.” It means that the client service component requires very little processing power. It runs on your computer and scans for malicious programs at regular intervals. The client component will connect to the web’s central monitoring service in the cloud to receive regular updates.
You can access the web’s central server via any web browser. Here you can find data such as active users and scan history. You will find the client’s interface similar to your PC antivirus software.
So, does cloud-based antivirus work? Let’s find out!
Is cloud-based antivirus possible?
Secure browsing is made easier by cloud-based antivirus software. It will show you different results when searching for something on your internet browser.
Many people believe that only the top-ranking pages in their web browsers are safe, but it is false. You might also find malicious links on some of the pages. You can have better data security and network performance without having to compromise your device’s performance. Installing a cloud-based antivirus will protect your device.
You can also try developing such softwares on your own, but you must complete a clouding course first to grasp all the necessary knowledge about cloud computing.
Core Benefits
Protection against new viruses
Cloud-based antivirus removes malware from your computer and protects it from new viruses. They provide you with zero-day protection, which keeps your device safe from new threats. It allows them to identify new threats and remove them from the device with up-to-date protection. However, it may take several days or even weeks to identify the malware.
Zero-day protection protects systems from all-new attacks based on their suspicious behavior. Most devices now have a solid interface and tackle viruses and other threats. However, antivirus software is required to protect against dangerous malware.
Network protection is excellent
Cloud-based antivirus can provide network protection to keep your network safe from online threats. Cloud-based security offers better network protection because it does not impact your device.
Traditional antivirus detects and eliminates malware when it enters the device. Cloud-based antivirus can detect all internet threats even before they reach the device, and it blocks all connections and ensures that malware cannot enter the device.
It allows for non-local processing
Cloud-based antivirus uses non-local processing, which means that it does all of its work outside of your device. It does not impact your device, and traditional antivirus can adversely affect your device performance. While scanning and performing other tasks, it uses RAM. Your antivirus will be active on your device if you use the real-time scan features.
The antivirus will use RAM [1] and run in the background, which can cause slowdowns to your device. Cloud-based antivirus is as easy as giving the scan command. All the scanning and analysis will take place on cloud servers that don’t use a lot of RAM. The remote side will do all the analysis so that any viruses do not compromise your device. The antivirus will remotely deal with your device before any virus enters it or damages your data.
Analytics and behavior protection
Cloud antivirus offers analytics and behavior protection. You can’t use traditional antivirus to inspect an email before opening it. Malware may enter your device as soon as you click on any malicious link, and cloud antivirus prevents malware from accomplishing that.
Cloud antivirus’s email protection features inspect your email before it is loaded on your device. It immediately checks the email and notifies you if it finds any signs of suspicious behavior. Email is a popular method for hacking and phishing, and cloud-based scanning protects users from these types of activities and ensures their security online.
Alert for users: Security alert
To keep your device safe, you should visit secure pages. It is difficult to identify secure pages. While some pages may appear trustworthy, others can be malicious. Cloud-based antivirus will scan all result pages and immediately load the pages in your browser, and it reduces the chance of malicious threats being placed on your device.
Cloud-based antivirus instantly compares what you’re accessing with files from the internet. The antivirus will report any malicious content found on the file to the cloud. If it finds a virus, it will not load it onto your device.
This feature prevents similar malware from getting into your device. Cloud-based antivirus offers multi-level protection and employs multiple algorithms to catch the malware. Cloud-based antivirus has a much faster detection rate and can remove malware more quickly than traditional antivirus.
Fewer Resources are Required
Cloud-based antivirus software has a lower impact on your computer systems, and it works in the cloud, so it doesn’t take up much of your device’s resources. Also, deployment is easier, the scans are faster, and you can access data like logs, history, or reports in the cloud.
Cloud Antivirus Features to consider
If you are familiar with antivirus software [2], the user interface of cloud antivirus software should be easy to navigate. Its primary task is to scan your computer for malware and clean it up. These are the most common functions of a cloud antivirus user interface:
- You can adjust when and what files you want to scan.
- Scanning the entire computer or a specific folder on the computer.
- You can take steps to delete or restore any files you have saved or files that have been neutralized in some other way.
- You can view in-depth details in the reports to find out what malware you found during a scan.
Cloud antivirus has unique features that you won’t find in the UI. Having cloud computing training is essential to understand all such features in a breeze.
Conclusion
Secure browsing is now easier by cloud-based antivirus software. It will show you different results when searching for something on your internet browser. Undoubtedly, numerous antiviruses are available, but choosing a cloud-based one will certainly prove to be a smart (and very reliable) decision. You can expect some extra layers of protection with it.
