But ultimately, even when you've educated your users, found peer groups for support, and updated your software to the best of your ability, you may decide that to make sure your business' Macs are really safe, you want to install and run antivirus software.

But if you do, take the time to do the research, and set a policy company-wide. You don't want to let it vaguely be heard that Mac users should have antivirus software to protect themselves but leave the door open for users themselves to seek such protection, lest they should find themselves unwittingly undermining everything you're trying to accomplish by selecting that "MacDefender" software..

There are plenty of anti-malware offerings for the Mac from most of the usual suspects of the PC antivirus world, including Symantec, McAfee, Kaspersky Lab, Trend Micro, Panda Security, and Sophos. If your company is a mixed Mac-and-PC environment, you can go with the same company that provides your PC antivirus software for consistency and ease of vendor relationship management.

If costs are a concern, there are plenty of free versions of legitimate Mac OS X antivirus software, including Intego, ClamXav, and Sophos. But if you've decided to be proactive enough to protect all the Macs in your company with antivirus, it's probably worth the additional time and expense to find and purchase the best possible fit in anti-malware software for your business' needs.

Robert Dutt is a veteran IT journalist and blogger. He covers the Canadian IT technology solution provider scene daily at . You can also find him on .