Antivirus for small business

[Tim]

Good morning everyone.

Can I get some opinions for anti-virus / general threat protection software for a small business?

We are currently using Symantec cloud services, and are very underwhelmed with the performance of it so far (it doesn't seem to do diddlysquat).

Just from reading in general, I know I've seen several times people say that Symantec isn't very helpful and is mostly good at causing resource issues.

What else is out there? Would having malwarebytes for small business in addition to whatever else you guys recommend be worth the money? I know I use it at home in concert with Windows Defender, and I never have issues.

Most machines here (less than 50) are running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.

 

[Lifted]

ESET NOD 32 / Endpoint AV in conjunction with ESET Remote Administrator have been performing well for us. Never ever had a single report of resource usage issues. Support is responsive and helpful. The local support person who answers the call will be the only person you speak with from start to finish. Very different from Symantec who will call you back when somebody in their Indian call center gets around to it.

 

[Tim]

Thanks. Anyone else have a different recommendation, or is what lifted posted a very common setup?

 

[ussfletcher]

I'm still a fan of Microsoft Security Essentials, EMET, and running with non-privileged user accounts. Though I would recommend using EMET no matter what.

 

[LongIslandTech]

Good morning everyone.

Can I get some opinions for anti-virus / general threat protection software for a small business?

We are currently using Symantec cloud services, and are very underwhelmed with the performance of it so far (it doesn't seem to do diddlysquat).

Just from reading in general, I know I've seen several times people say that Symantec isn't very helpful and is mostly good at causing resource issues.

What else is out there? Would having malwarebytes for small business in addition to whatever else you guys recommend be worth the money? I know I use it at home in concert with Windows Defender, and I never have issues.

Most machines here (less than 50) are running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.

Free AVG on all machines. Or lifetime Malwarebytes subscriptions.

 

[lxskllr]

We have a mix of stuff at the office. Some of it is violating the license, since free versions aren't supposed to be used commercially. I'm currently testing Immunet, and it seems alright aside from a couple false positives. It's free for commercial use, and uses Clam definitions ofline, and cloud definitions online.

My impression of the effectiveness is maybe a bit better than MSE, which is to say not great, but it is light. I'd be happy with it for personal use. It remains to be seen if it can stand up to my coworker's computing habits :^D

 

[mechBgon]

Good morning everyone.

Can I get some opinions for anti-virus / general threat protection software for a small business?

For general threat protection, I would look next to these:

1. eliminate unnecessary attack surface by uninstalling non-essential stuff. For example, if you don't need Java, make sure it's not installed. Likewise for media players and anything else.

2. Install Microsoft EMET and configure it for maximum protection. In the Apps section, make sure it's protecting all the installed software, e.g. Office apps, browsers, media players, PDF readers and whatnot.

3. Try out Software Restriction Policy. Once set up, it works on an arbitrary basis. You don't need to pay for renewals, you'll seldom need to change its setup (just re-audit the rules for any new loopholes if you add new software), and it has no appreciable performance impact. http://www.mechbgon.com/srp for my info on that. Super-powerful. Exploit payloads and Trojans get blocked on an arbitrary basis.

4. Completely disable AutoRun/AutoPlay using Group Policy.

5. Max out UAC to the "Always Notify" setting.

6. enable Enhanced Protected Mode on IE. Also enable ActiveX Filtering, so ActiveX controls are in a default-deny configuration. You can mandate both of those using Group Policy, either local or domain.

7. Scan your fleet with Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (freebie).

8. If you use Adobe Reader, disable unnecessary features like Adobe JavaScript and some others. More suggestions here: http://www.mechbgon.com/build/security2.html#more_tips

9. If data loss from employees putting stuff on flash drives is a problem, you can use Group Policy to make USB storage devices read-only. You might need a separate Group Policy on that one so you can be selective about the victims

I know the original question was more like "suggest a different A/V" but that's like asking which piece of Swiss cheese has the fewest holes in it. You can do a lot just with Windows itself. Software Restricition Policy is the kingpin, it fundamentally changes the rules of the game.

 

[bandi]

Try Bitdefender Small Business Pack guess its ideal for small businesses who do not have a dedicated IT person. It can run on Autopilot to secure your business computers and devices without requiring hands-on management of the software.Fits the bill perfectly.

 

[debian0001]

F-Secure is pretty good.

 

[Managespaces]

Norton is good..

 

[gus6464]

We use Trend Micro worry-free business.

 

[nemesismk2]

AVG is very good.

 

[ringtail]

Take a look at Lastline

 

[mikeymikec]

MSE's small print says "for businesses with 10 users or less" IIRC. Not sure how that works with Windows 8 Defender though, I assume MS have dispensed with that rule.

 

[Kaido]

I have really been liking the combination of Avast & Malwarebytes (for business). One nice feature in Avast is SafeZone, which is basically a virtualized browser - people are going to surf, so at least give them a safe outlet to do it in.

 

[Kaido]

Free AVG on all machines. Or lifetime Malwarebytes subscriptions.

FYI - I believe Malwarebytes changed their license agreement on the new v2 to prohibit using the Lifetime license in a commercial environment, so I don't think you can legally use it anymore (the box version is the older "Pro" version iirc, so if you update, it violates the new license).

 

[mikeymikec]

AVG Free's licence also says "not for businesses", IIRC.