At-home vs. At-work Antivirus Protection
December 18, 2012 8:36 AM

Is it still worth paying for antivirus software for computers on my work network? I manage the IT needs for an 11-person office.

We currently pay $7/year for Kaspersky Anti Virus on each of our 12-14 computers.

I have started using Microsoft Security Essentials on my home PC, and wonder whether we could do the same at the office.

As a for-profic small business, money is not super-tight, but cost savings is appreciated.
posted by bullitt 5 to Technology (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
MSE (free) small business licensing is limited to 10 or fewer PCs. You could still install it, but it wouldn't be strictly aboveboard.
posted by Sternmeyer at 8:41 AM on December 18, 2012


I have found this to be a very good resource for comparing AVS packages. They do thorough testing and I think Microsoft SE is in there as well (I can't view the various report PDFs here at work since our browser tech is way behind so I couldn't check). Anyhow, a valuable resource when it comes to evaluating AVS. The annual reports are the most comprehensive and a good starting point but of course they're not the most up-to-date being annual and all that.

Edited: forgot link to AV Comparatives... doh!
posted by Hairy Lobster at 10:23 AM on December 18, 2012


MSE + MBAM + Privoxy + AdBlock Plus + web surfing with Google Chrome = recipe for success.

I manage a similarly sized office, and this does the trick for me.
posted by thanotopsis at 11:38 AM on December 18, 2012


Thanks for the feedback! Each of these options give me avenues to explore in looking for a solution. Many thanks.
posted by bullitt 5 at 11:12 AM on December 21, 2012


I didn't realize there was a 10-license limit on MSE, which is good to know.

I am moving toward limited user privileges, particularly for interns we have in the office.

The AV Comparatives site confirms my perception that Kaspersky outperforms AVG, justifying its expense.

I have used MBAM, but did not know about Privoxy. I hadn't considered AdBLock as a security feature before...
posted by bullitt 5 at 11:19 AM on December 21, 2012


I hadn't considered AdBLock as a security feature before...

There are a considerable number of viruses delivered via Flash-based banner advertisements, so blocking ads in an office setting is a pretty smart thing to do.

Privoxy is a good layered solution as it filters all web traffic independent of what browser or product you're using.
posted by thanotopsis at 4:05 PM on December 21, 2012


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