What is OEM?

OEM stands for ‘Original Equipment Manufacturer’. OEM software refers to software that is only sold to computer builders.

A new computer you purchase may be supplied with OEM antivirus software from Kaspersky. If this is the case, your computer will already have a certain level of virus protection.

What if the OEM product is not the best antivirus software for me?

If you know that you need to increase the level of protection supplied by your OEM software, you can upgrade to Version 2011

If you are unsure if the OEM antivirus software that your computer is fitted with provides the level of protection you need, you may want to use antivirus trial software. Try one of Kaspersky’s free antivirus trials to see if another product better suits your needs.

Can I purchase OEM software?

There are many online sites selling cheap antivirus software. In many cases, these products are cheap because they are OEM versions supplied to manufacturers at a bulk-rate cost.

However, this is not the best buy antivirus software because it is illegal, may not work on your computer and may even leave your system vulnerable to the very viruses you want to protect it from.

OEM software is only distributed with hardware. When these programs are copied or sold separately, it is a violation of the license agreement the distributor has with the software company and is therefore illegal. Copying and illegally distributing OEM versions of antivirus software is a form of software piracy.

So if you are looking for a cheap antivirus solution, don’t be fooled into purchasing OEM antivirus software.

Finally, many OEM products are not supported by the manufacturer or upgradable to the latest version.