Av-Comparatives – Review of IT Security Suites for Small Business – September 2015

Av-Comparatives has released their Review of IT Security Suites for Small Business   - September 2015.  The review   examines security suites suitable for a company running either the Foundation or the Enterprise edition of Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2. The Foundation version is suitable for small companies with up to 15 users (from the Microsoft website), while the Essentials version allows an additional ten users. The report considers products for a network of up to 25 client PCs, with one file server/domain controller.

AV-Comparatives’ review covered only the essential everyday tasks needed in all networks. However some products have additional features and could be used for significantly bigger networks reviewed. Products in the Review of IT Security Suites are:

Bitdefender Endpoint GravityZone, ESET Remote Administrator, F-Secure Protection Service For Business, G Data Antivirus Business, Kaspersky Small Office Security, McAfee SaaS Endpoint Protection, Sophos Endpoint Security and Control Cloud, Symantec Endpoint Protection, and Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security Services.  Symantec! They’re here.  They are not present on many of AV-Comparatives’ reviews (companies cannot selectively opt out of a subset of core reviews; it’s all or none).

The document itself runs around 90 pages.  Each product is given a comprehensive overview.  Major categories that AV-Comparatives looked at include:

Supported OS, Documentation, Management Console (cloud based, server based, and virtual appliance) Respective endpoint protection programs for Windows and Mac OS clients, Window Server Protection Software, and Summary

All of the products received the AV-Comparatives’ Approved Business Award.

The advantages of a document like this include, the depth of comparison, the same features/functionality are looked at for each product, and the review was done by a known test organization. A company would not have the time (and for a Small Business, the expertise) to go into this depth for nine products.  Companies looking to replace their current product being used should find this report a valuable (at no charge!) resource.

For those who like to compare products on a feature grid, suffice it to say that AV-Comparatives provides a sizeable (Multiple fingers and toes! Approximately 100 rows) grid as part of the document. This document is more than adequate for you to select one product for your environment or select a short list for evaluation.

The document can be downloaded at:    

   http://www.av-comparatives.org/corporate-reviews/

The “Death of Antivirus Software is Greatly Exaggerated”, as written in an article in CSO Online (and others).  You still need protection from these threats, whether the protection is provided from software on the device or from the cloud. Greatly Exaggerated

 Av-Comparatives has a fantastic library of test documents. The site organization scores high on surveys.  Check them out.  Other documents are available for download from the AV-comparatives website (www.av-comparatives.org ) website.