Since early stages of computers and internet, we got used to the idea that we need to keep our computer clean from any virus or other type of infection, because this would grant us a seamless operation of our computer.
Nowadays, things have changed a little bit: why not download and use a free software and accept to see some ads brought to me via an adware which is installed with that software? Would it be better to pay hundreds of dollars to use that program when I can have it for free?
The problem is like this: if the adware isn’t harmful, and it really doesn’t interfere with my work in any other way than making me see a few ads when I launch the software, then I don’t see any reason why I should get rid of it and keep my computer clean.
However, if it is a spyware which steals data from my computer, then I might be afraid to let it stay, because I wouldn’t like my banking details to get into the hands of a thief.
The same reasoning goes for cases in which the spyware makes my system go sluggish and much slower than normal. I wouldn’t want to spend one day doing a task that would normally take me one hour.
It’s always about the balance between drawbacks and benefits and see which option would work best for each specific case. If you have enough money, maybe it would be best to buy all the software you need, so you will be able to keep your computer clean of adware and spyware. Nevertheless, even if you buy everything, you are still vulnerable, so in any case, an antivirus solution provided with spyware and adware blocker would be ideal. In case of a server, you can try Antivirus for server 2008 in order to protect it.