Microsoft’s main competitors, notably ESET, Symantec and Avast, have claimed that Microsoft’s Security Essentials is not enough protection for small businesses. Microsoft recently changed their EULA to allow small businesses with under 10 PC’s to run MSE for free. I have used to extensively, and the protection is better than a lot of others, including paid anti-virus software. Not to mention it uses less resources.

That said, Symantec thinks Microsoft’s approach is poor. “While we applaud any vendor that heightens small business awareness around the need for computer security, it’s clear that today’s threats have moved beyond the capabilities of the product Microsoft is offering,” Symantec told Ars. “The perception that freeware vendors have created is that free, basic security is enough to protect customers from today’s online threats. The reality is that the number and sophistication of Web-based viruses and malicious code continues to rise, resulting in small businesses needing more than just a signature-based antivirus product to fully protect their critical information.”