What is the Best Anti-Virus (AV)?

We get asked this question all the time! If anyone knows that you are a nerd or that you have anything to do with IT or security, this is the question they are going to ask you first.

So how do you answer such a question? The short answer is simply: It depends!

The long answer is: It depends on what system you are running and a whole other factors such as the user's nerdiness level and many other factors.

If the person asking the question is a nerd, then the answer is easy: Check out the latest academic or industry papers on the subject:

Here is an industry paper on the subject:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/12/04/av-comparatives-november-2008-report-only-nod32-worthy

Here is an academic paper on the subject:
http://scissec.scis.ecu.edu.au/conferences/viewabstract.php?id=70&cf=2

One thing to keep in mind is that you have to check AV software evaluations frequently. This is because what happens to be the best software today might not be the best in year or so. So you have to keep yourself up-to-date all the time.