Most people are aware that anti-virus programs are essential for the protection of their computers, but few are aware of the magnitude the industry has to contend with. Even the best antivirus software can be a challenge. Some are minor and can easily be resolved, whereas others are more serious.
One of the most significant issues is that antivirus signature protection does not cover a wide variety of threats. Every time new viruses emerge they take a while before antivirus companies are able to create and publish new anti-virus updates. They have to wait until the virus has been detected by their software and then sent to be analysed.
In the meantime the virus is likely to spread, and it’s very likely that hundreds or dozens of computers will be infected by the virus. It may also extend to other networks. To be effective, anti-virus software needs be able to recognize and block such infections very quickly. This means that behaviour-blocking or heuristic analyser are more effective than signature detection.
Incompatibility is a different issue. Although the majority of antivirus software developers are focused on creating high-quality products and removing bugs, it is true that multiple antivirus programs can occasionally create conflicts.