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How to Choose an Anti-virus Product

I have had the opportunity to work with several of the popular and leading anti-virus products that most companies use today, such as McAfee (Network Associates), Trend Micro, and Norton (Symantec). Selecting the right anti-virus product for your organization depends on several factors, and here is a list of what I think are the most important criteria:

Size of Your Organization

It is important to make sure that anti-virus software is installed on all file and print servers, high-risk application servers, and end user desktops and laptops. You want to make sure the software is scalable to the size of your organization. If your company is currently small, you want to make sure the software you purchase can grow with the size of your company. For example, if you configure your workstations to receive automatic virus definition file updates from a server over the LAN, you must take into consideration the amount of bandwidth needed for that process. The available bandwidth depends on the size of your network, and the size of files and data communicated over the network. Also, consider the costs associated with how the software is priced. The anti-virus software may be priced according to the number of servers and workstations within your company. Purchasing a corporate site license may be more appropriate for large organizations with hundreds of servers and end user desktops and laptops.

Vendor Service Agreements

Choosing the appropriate level of service from a vendor is very important. Viruses are created quite frequently and take very little time to spread and infect systems because of all of the open communication channels. It is important that your anti-virus response team can contact the right level of technical expertise from your vendor for assistance to obtain virus definition updates rather quickly to protect your enterprise systems. Also, verify the versions of anti-virus software that will be supported by the vendor. Make sure you understand how long they will support each version of their software and when the support dates expire. You do not want non-supported anti-virus software installed in your environment and virus definition files are no longer being updated for your particular version of software when a major virus is announced.

Types of Operating System

Gather information about the operating system that is running on each of the servers and workstations your organization wants to protect with anti-virus software. The anti-virus software must be compatible with the operating system. The installation files and continuous updates will rely heavily on how the software will interact with other existing services on each system. Also, the installation method for each operating system may vary. Make sure you understand how the software should be installed according to the type of operating system, such as a Novell Netware server versus a Windows NT server.

Implementation and Maintenance

Implementing software can be very challenging because you do not want to interrupt any production services or cause a negative impact for your end users. Most installations should be coordinated with the schedules of operation systems and performed after normal business hours. Installing software can also affect the number of resources to be available to oversee systems during installation. Most of the anti-virus vendors have included the technology to allow you to distribute the software via your LAN. They have included mechanisms that will allow you to install the software on one server and allow you to "push" it to another server or workstation. This delivery method makes it easier for the initial installation and to maintain updates throughout your network. More details are involved in configuring the client-server packages for network distribution, however, make sure you inquire about this overall concept and determine whether or not it is feasible for your environment. Automating the installation of software will reduce the amount of time and number of resources it takes to complete the installation. Most importantly, make sure your network topology can handle software being pushed down its communication channels before you determine which software package you are going to purchase. Understanding all of your distribution options for your specific environment is a key factor in what software package the vendor should sell you and how much they can assist you during implementation.

Cost

The amount of money to spend on an anti-virus solution for your organization depends on your budget and the size of your organization. Anti-virus software is a necessity for all companies that rely on electronic communications to do business with other business partners and customers. Anti-virus software can reduce the risks of your companies' systems from spreading viruses and negatively impacting your business counterparts and customers. The purchase of anti-virus software should not be considered an optional expenditure, however, it is wise to compare the costs of each vendor's software package before making a final selection.

A company-wide anti-virus solution should be carefully chosen for any organization. The product should be an industry standard that can be easily integrated with your computer systems. Technical support should be readily available when needed from the vendor, and understanding implementation and software maintenance allow you to optimize the use of the product. The virus problem that exists today justifies the cost for an enterprise anti-virus software solution. Hopefully by adding these areas of qualifications to your checklist, you will be able to acquire the right product for your environment.

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