Choice of an antivirus - Is Kaspersky the mandatory solution?

Hi,

I recently bought and installed Parallels on my Mac, running OS X 10.11.1. So far, I only installed some VM in order to figure out how the system works, namely Ubuntu, Debian, and a free demo version of Windows 10 provided by Microsoft for a limited time. I refrained to visit any unknown web sites or download anything from this Windows VM, as I did not installed any antivirus yet on this machine.

On my mac, under OS X, I have been running the free version of Avast Antivirus for years, as a reasonable safety measure, although I know that virus are not widespread in the mac world. So far, I did not notice any compatibility issues between Avast and my Parallels Desktop installation.

I am considering the opportunity to buy a legitimate copy of Windows in order to install it in a VM and to run some Windows applications on my Ma, alongside Mac apps. I understand that no antivirus are necessary for Linux VM machines, but that I will need to install a decent antivirus solution on Windows, within my Windows VM.

I see that Parallels is heavily promoting Kaspersky as a solution both for OS X and Windows VM. I read that Running 2 different antivirus (one on the Host system and one in a guest system) could create issues, and that only Kaspersky had been tested in order to work with Parallels Desktop. I am reluctant to go for a paid antivirus. I do not question the quality of Kaspersky solutions, I do not question the right of Parallels Desktop to promote a specific antivirus solution alongside its products, and I am sure that running a tested an tried product has its advantages; still, I suspect that recommending Kaspersky is at least partly related to a commercial partnership between Parallels and Kaspersky, and not only to technical constrains...

So my questions are:

- If I want to protect both my host OS (OS X) and my Windows Guest OS, do I have other options than Kaspersky ?
- Could I keep the free Avast solution on OS X, and install the free Avast solution within my Windows Virtual Machine
- What would be the risks of running 2 different antivirus solutions, as A VM is supposed to run in isolation of its guest OS ? For example, what about keeping the free avast antivirus running on OS X, and installing Kaspersky only in the Windows VM
- I did not manage to find clear information about the Kaspersky licensing. Will I need to pay twice, one time of OS X, another time for Kaspersky? And what if I install several Windows VM, will a need to pay a separate fee for every machine ? (Kaspersky might have an advantage if it were not the case, but I am afraid it is...)

Any hints or information is welcome...

 

Hi

Hi,
of course you can install any antivirus on your VM and Mac, for example Avast or any other free Security software, it's your own choice.
Two different antivirus also will work OK, but due to some internal software updates it will make the performance of Mac and VM a bit slowly (for example when you update both Antivirus at one time).
Also as I know you need to purchase Kaspersky for Mac and Windows, but may be they have any discount for "double" purchase. You can check it here.

 

Hi Maria@Parallels,
I am a bit confused by your reply. The way you put it is ambiguous, in my understanding. You state that "Two different antivirus also will work OK", as if the alternative, that is installing Kaspersky both on the Mac and VM, would not be a solution where I would install 2 different antivirus (the version of Kaspersky for Mac and the version for Windows). Does working with Kaspersky instead of Avast make any difference, from that perspective ? You also state that "due to some internal software updates it will make the performance of Mac and VM a bit slowly (for example when you update both Antivirus at one time)". Again, do you imply that installing Kaspersky for Windows on my OS x guest system + Kaspersky for Mac on my OS X host system would allow me to avoid this issue ? For example, do you imply that there would be some sort of shared process between the 2 antivirus, if it is Kaspersky ? I did not manager to find any information that would point in that direction?
The link that you gave me to Kaspersky is just a link to their homepage, not a specific link that would give me any answer, and I did not manage to clarify issues, neither on Parallels web site or on the Kaspersky one?
Basically, my remaining questions are:
- Is there any advantage to choose Kaspersky for a setting where I would Install Kaspersky on my OS X guest system and Kaspersky on my Windows guest system, compared to antivirus. Does Kaspersky offer any advantage in terms of integration in both worlds, or in terms of compatibility with Parallels? Or is Kaspersky just a solution that Parallels promotes as a convenience for its customers, without any specific technical advantage above competitors?
- Would you recommend to install an antivirus only on my Windows guest system, and not on my OS X host system, to avoid running 2 antivirus in the background, which of course has some impact on performance? Is this what you imply by your answer?

I would appreciate very much if you clarify. I feel that Parallels has some sort of responsibility here, as it promotes Kaspersky within its software, so I expect an unambiguous information regarding the advantage of using Kaspersky above other solutions, beside convenience of the "one click instal" from within Parallels, or possibly the advantage of the pricing in comparison with other paid solutions...

Best regards