AVG Internet Security Business Edition delivers solid core protection and centralized management, though some other suites offer more comprehensive tools and flexibility for the same price.
Some small business security suites, such as Avast Premium Business Security, have visibly evolved from consumer-oriented suites, adding features that enhance security for businesses. Others, like AVG Internet Security Business Edition, reviewed here, appear to have started with enterprise-style features, including fully remote installation and management, and just trimmed them down so a single admin can manage security. While both types have their advantages, Avast’s suite offers all of AVG’s features and more for a similar price, making it our Editors’ Choice winner.How Much Do You Pay for AVG Internet Security Business Edition?
You can get an AVG subscription for as many devices as you want, up to a maximum of 999. For one to four licenses, the list price per device is $56.99. That comes down to $48.50 for five to 19 devices and $42.44 for 20 to 49 devices. The discount increases as the number of licenses increases, but even so, by the time you reach 999 devices at $23.03 each, you’re looking at more than $23,000.
Of course, it’s very unlikely you’d want 999 licenses. There’s no fixed size for small business security, but a common range is 20 to 25 devices. You’d pay $848.80 for 20 AVG licenses and $1,061 for 25. AVG’s 25-license price is almost twice that of ESET Small Business Security, which costs $512.50. Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security costs $799.99 for a 25-pack, which covers two devices each for 25 employees, plus coverage for five servers. Protecting 50 devices with AVG would run you $1,818.50.
Norton’s pricing plan is limited to 20 licenses, for which you pay $399 per year. Like Bitdefender, it allows two devices per employee, so those 20 licenses enable you to protect up to 40 devices. Norton’s price is significantly less than AVG’s $848.80 for 20 devices (or $ 1,697.60 for 40). AVG’s price is also slightly higher than that of Malwarebytes for Teams, which charges $799.99 for 20 licenses.
Avast, AVG, and Norton all belong to the same parent company, Gen Digital. Like AVG, Avast Premium Business Security offers licensing from 1 to 999 devices, with a per-device price that diminishes as the number of devices increases. The two aren’t quite the same price-wise, but close. With Avast, you pay $874.60 per year for 20 licenses, $1,093.25 for 25, and (though you wouldn’t do this) more than $23,000 for the full 999 devices. As you’ll see, Avast includes everything that AVG does and more.Getting Started With AVG Internet Security Business Edition
Your first step toward business protection is to create an AVG account online and register your subscription. Now you can download the local security app, send a message with a download link, or remotely install protection. I’ll discuss that last option below.
The process is similar to getting started with Avast, but diminished. Where Avast protects both Macs and Windows PCs, AVG is a PC-only solution. During Avast’s installation, you can choose to install four components: Antivirus, Web Control, VPN, and USB Protection. With AVG, the only option is Antivirus.
Once you’ve completed the installation, AVG encourages you to enable two features: Browser Defense and Remote Access Shield. Browser Defense, similar to the feature of the same name in Avast, aims to prevent other apps and users from accessing your browser cookies and browser-stored passwords. I don’t see that as terribly useful. I suggest you retrieve your passwords from insecure browser storage and store them in a powerful password manager. The Remote Access Shield warns you whenever a remote process attempts to access a protected PC. When that occurs, you can choose to block or allow it. If you’re working with tech support via TeamViewer or a similar app, sure, allow the connection. Otherwise, block it!Shared Antivirus Features
Given the name, you might expect this suite to consist of AVG Internet Security plus some business-related enhancements. You’d be wrong. There are similarities, and many features overlap, but several ancillary security features aren’t included in the business edition.
The main window features a status banner across the top, with big panels below divided into Basic Protection and Full Protection. The latter consists simply of the two features above. In the basic protection department are panels for Computer and for Web & Email. A large button located near the bottom center of the window allows you to run a smart scan.
The consumer-side Internet Security suite appears very similar; however, the Full Protection area also includes a panel titled Personal Data, and there’s a third area devoted to exploring additional AVG apps. As you dig deeper, you’ll find more consumer-only features—I’ll collect these below. Here, I’ll review the features shared by both business and consumer editions.
My hands-on tests exercise various elements of antivirus protection and yield a score for comparison. I’ve grown quite adept at putting antivirus apps through their paces, but independent testing labs have significantly more resources for their testing, including a whole staff of testing experts. When the labs release a test report, I pay attention! The more labs report on a product, the more important it is, especially if those reports give it high scores.
AVG is at a minor disadvantage here. The company was bought by Avast almost 10 years ago, and it wasn’t long before Avast and AVG began using the same antivirus engine. Currently, Gen Digital owns Avast, AVG, and Norton, and all three utilize the same engine, referred to as the Gen stack. AVG has spent years in the shadow of Avast, to the extent that several of the labs no longer bother testing it separately. AV-Test Institute and AV-Comparatives awarded perfect scores to AVG in their latest reports, but those are AVG’s only two scores. Avast and Norton, by contrast, show up in the latest reports from all five labs, with mostly perfect scores.
AVLab Cybersecurity Foundation reports scores as a percentage, MRG-Effitas is close to a pass/fail system, and SE Labs certifies antivirus tools at five levels: AAA, AA, A, B, and C. All five labs have their own reporting styles. For an overview, I created an equation system that first maps all the results onto a 10-point scale and then combines them into an aggregate score. With two perfect scores, AVG has an aggregate score of 10, the same as Malwarebytes. But the 9.6-point aggregate attained by Avast and Norton is impressive because all five labs contributed.
Like AVG, ESET received perfect scores from all the labs. Its 10-point win derives from four sets of lab results. Bitdefender and McAfee+, also tested by four labs, both score an impressive 9.
