On June 29, the Univerdity will replace    its current free antivirus software, Trend Micro, with the Russian antivirus software Kaspersky. If students currently using Trend Micro do not change to Kaspersky, they will lose the license to use Trend Micro and will no longer be protected by the software.

Kaspersky, just like Trend Micro, will be free for students, faculty members and staff to keep both personal and university data secure from cyberattacks.

Mardecia Bell, director of Security and Compliance in the Office of Information Technology, said the three year contract with Trend Micro expired this year, which gave OIT the option of either renewing the contract or shopping around for other software options.

“From a usability perspective, there were multiple problems with Trend Micro, so we were looking to use other products,” Bell said.

The problems with Trend Micro included performance issues with the Mac version and inconsistencies with the blocking of websites that did not contain viruses or malware, according to Bell.

Some minor installation issues regarding Kaspersky have already been resolved, and OIT does not anticipate any major problems during the course of its use, according to Bell.

The primary parameters the University uses to select its antivirus solution are protection, usability and the rate at which the software can detect viruses and malware, Bell said.

 “Kaspersky is rated pretty highly in all of those categories,” Bell said.

The University mandates that all devices connected to the campus network be protected by approved antivirus software, which is why the University provides antivirus software access at no charge so it is not a burden to acquire, according to Bell.

To aid in the transition, OIT has made efforts to inform users about the new software and provides instructions on its website as to how to download and install the program.

Although the University provides a software option for free, many students elect to use other programs, such as Norton or Avast!, in order to protect its personal devices. OIT has established guidelines for acceptable alternatives but is not responsible for installation, troubleshooting or maintenance for them.

N.C. State has provided free antivirus software since the early 2000s. According to Susan West, director of Technology and Support Services at OIT, when the University first began to offer free antivirus software there were limited options for free or low cost products. Since then, both West and Bell said they agree providing free antivirus software has cut down on N.C. State’s cybersecurity problems.

Once students have graduated from N.C. State, they are no longer licensed to use the University’s antivirus software.