In partnership with
Workers and businesses want powerful, fast devices to leverage the potential of AI PCs – but they’re also concerned about increasingly sophisticated hacking threats.
The perhaps age-old dilemma is the perception that enhanced security impacts on laptop performance, a key underpinning necessity for digital innovation.
Yet it’s vital that computers are protected. Small businesses may not have dedicated security teams, rely on off-the-shelf technology, and need their workforce to be flexible.
Workers who are outside the business firewall are more likely to connect to unknown networks, are more susceptible to malware downloads and data loss or even device theft.
According to Foundry’s CSO Security Priorities Study, 40% of businesses plan to strengthen their protection of confidential data.1
But data loss and malware are just the most obvious dangers.
Criminal groups and hackers are using ever more sophisticated techniques to steal data, break into networks and even fake identities. These attacks can even directly target remote or mobile workers, with hackers using artificial intelligence to bypass security measures.
One example of an emerging threat is deep fake technology. Here, hacking groups use AI to create convincing fake video and audio.
They can then use this to spread disinformation, commit fraud or bypass biometric security measures and steal data, or gain access to confidential systems. More than one in 10 businesses have been targeted in this way, according to CSO Online.2
Users too face being tricked by online information that has been produced by AI: this happened during election campaigns in both the US and Slovakia.3
Security and performance
User awareness and training can protect against threats such as phishing. Basic measures such as strong passwords or multi-factor identification, including biometrics, and disk encryption, further cut the risks.
But laptop users also need security tools that are effective, but do not hamper the performance of their equipment. Otherwise, users’ productivity could drop, or worse still, they will bypass security measures.
McAfee Security is one tool that is designed with performance in mind. Independent tests found that McAfee outperformed all other security vendors, with an “impact score” of 2.6.4
The industry average was 13.4. Users with even low-end PCs can use McAfee Security without worrying about a performance hit, and still stay ahead of new and emerging threats.
And in a digital world where seeing is no longer believing, McAfee Smart AI™ shields against scams, online threats, and disinformation.
McAfee’s proprietary AI technology, trained by the world’s top security engineers,
analyses vast amounts of data each day to detect and block threats in real time. It looks for patterns of malicious behaviour, including suspicious links and AI-generated content.
McAfee’s Text Scam Detector instantly alerts on your phone for risky texts before even opening them and award-winning antivirus delivers real-time protection from the latest threats.
Choosing the right security tools gives businesses the reassurance that their data and systems are protected – even from new and emerging threats such as AI-driven attacks – and that their teams can still benefit from the vital performance of their laptops when on the move.
Learn more about McAfee and Dell’s security solutions now.
1 Source: CSO Security Priorities Study, 2024, p6
2 Deepfakes break through as business threat, CSO Online, 19 Sept 2024
3 ibid
4 AV Comparatives October 2024 tests, cited in Dell collateral AV Comparatives Results-dell_1024_EN.pdf