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.<\/b>
\nSome 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\u2019s 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\u2019re looking at more than $23,000.
Of course, it\u2019s very unlikely you\u2019d want 999 licenses. There\u2019s no fixed size for small business security, but a common range is 20 to 25 devices. You\u2019d pay $848.80 for 20 AVG licenses and $1,061 for 25. AVG\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s price is significantly less than AVG\u2019s $848.80 for 20 devices (or $ 1,697.60 for 40). AVG\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019t do this) more than $23,000 for the full 999 devices. As you\u2019ll 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\u2019ll 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\u2019ve 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\u2019t 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\u2019re 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\u2019d be wrong. There are similarities, and many features overlap, but several ancillary security features aren\u2019t 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\u2019s a third area devoted to exploring additional AVG apps. As you dig deeper, you\u2019ll find more consumer-only features\u2014I\u2019ll collect these below. Here, I\u2019ll 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\u2019ve 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\u2019t 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\u2019s 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 9.8 points.
These lab scores are helpful, but almost 40% of the antivirus apps I track don\u2019t appear in any lab reports. For test results that I can compare across all the security apps I cover, I rely on my hands-on malware protection tests.
One simple test uses dozens of real-world malware samples that I gathered and analyzed myself. Some real-time antivirus systems scan files upon the slightest access, including the minimal access required to list the file in Windows Explorer. Others, including both Avast and AVG, require a more active trigger, such as launching the file or downloading it from online.
AVG eliminated more than 80% of the samples at the download phase. To finish the test, I launched all the samples that survived the initial culling and noted how the antivirus handled them. One way or another, AVG detected 97% of the samples and scored 9.7 of 10 possible points. Avast and Norton scored precisely the same against the same set of samples. That\u2019s not surprising, as Avast, AVG, and Norton all use the same antivirus engine.
A few competitors scored even higher. Malwarebytes detected 99% and scored 9.9 points. McAfee and UltraAV scored a perfect 10 points. Still, AVG\u2019s score is very good.
To gain insight into how each antivirus handles the latest real-world threats, I begin with a feed provided by testing lab MRG-Effitas. This feed lists malware-hosting URLs detected by the lab\u2019s systems in the last few days. I launch each URL and note whether the antivirus software diverts the browser away from danger, quarantines the potentially malicious download, or takes no action.
The URLs used in this test are different every time, but always the most recent. AVG scored 93%, beating Bitdefender by one percentage point. Avast managed to reach 94%, and ESET achieved 95%. The big winner among business-centric suites is Norton, with 99% protection.
Gaining control of a company network using malware is a challenging task for hackers. It\u2019s a lot easier to trick one of your employees into giving away important login credentials using a phishing attack. In the business world, a targeted phishing attack using personalized details is called spear phishing, and it can be highly effective. Yes, you can train your staff to spot these frauds, but it\u2019s beneficial to also have backup from your antivirus software.
My phishing protection test utilizes very recent online fraud examples gathered from websites that monitor such activities. AVG blew this test out of the water, detecting 100% of the phishing fakes. ESET also scored 100% in this test, while Norton, Avast, and Bitdefender managed 99%. The lowest score among business-focused suites was 96%, achieved by Malwarebytes, which is not a bad score.Other Shared Features
Earlier, I mentioned two features that you must enable during installation. Browser Defense prevents unauthorized apps from accessing browser cookies and passwords stored in your browser. Remote Access Shield applies various restrictions to protect your company’s computers against potential attacks using remote access techniques. Simply enable these features and leave them as is.
Firewall protection in this suite appears to be identical to what you get in Avast\u2019s business suite. It automatically configures protection for each network you use based on whether you identify it as a public or private network. There are pages of settings that most users should leave alone.
In AVG\u2019s default Smart Mode, the firewall automatically configures network permissions to prevent misuse of the connection by apps on your PC. In the optional Ask mode, it queries the user each time a new program attempts access. The pop-up query is loaded with choices. Allow or block access? Always, just once, or until the PC restarts? Manage incoming traffic, outgoing traffic, or traffic on a specific port? Would your employees know how to answer these questions? Probably not. Leave the firewall set to Smart Mode.
One feature some advanced security suites offer is the ability to encrypt your sensitive files, either by encrypting individual files and folders or by creating an encrypted storage folder. But if you encrypt a sensitive file without thoroughly erasing the non-encrypted original, you haven\u2019t achieved much protection. Even if you delete the original, a government agency (or a spy) could potentially recover it using forensic software.
That\u2019s why encryption systems often come with a data shredder app. This type of secure deletion app overwrites the disk space used by a file before deleting it, foiling recovery attempts.
AVG comes with a data shredder component, though it lacks the associated encryption system. By default, it overwrites file data once, which should prevent recovery using forensic software. You can crank the number of overwrite passes as high as 100, though anything over seven passes is redundant. You can also choose from a couple of multi-overwrite algorithms. These take longer, but once they\u2019re done, even forensic hardware can\u2019t recover the shredded files.Features Absent From This Suite
If you put this suite side by side with the consumer-side AVG Internet Security, you\u2019ll find quite a few differences. On the business side, the Full Protection page in the Settings dialog only displays settings for Browser Defense and Remote Access Shield. The consumer product also has a webcam shield, a sensitive data shield, and a fake website shield. All the other small-business apps I\u2019ve evaluated include the ability to prevent unauthorized use of the webcam, sometimes also protecting the microphone. If your main competitor sneakily wiretaps your big strategy meeting, AVG won\u2019t prevent it.
I mentioned the button on the main window that launches what AVG calls a Smart Scan. This scan in the consumer edition is a multi-part overall system checkup. It checks for operating system issues, malware, advanced issues, and performance issues. The business edition, reviewed here, skips all those except the malware scan, meaning the smart scan is no different from a quick scan.
AVG does include a simple toggle to turn its behavior shield on and off, but the related ransomware shield is absent. In the consumer edition, the ransomware shield prevents unauthorized changes to files in a list of protected folders.
The Network Inspector, common to consumer suites from both Avast and AVG, scans your network, reports on all devices it finds, and flags any with security problems. You can configure it to alert you when a new device joins the network. Alas, while Avast\u2019s business suite includes this feature, AVG\u2019s omits it.
Avast, Bitdefender, ESET, Malwarebytes, and Norton all offer full VPN support, with no bandwidth or server usage limitations. AVG is the odd man out, with no VPN. To be fair, the consumer-side AVG Internet Security also lacks a VPN. You only get a VPN with the AVG Ultimate bundle.
A couple of missing features only become evident when you log in to the online console to manage your company computers. I\u2019ll discuss the console in detail next. Briefly, with Avast\u2019s business hub, the Web Control feature can apply content filtering to all your company computers, helping your employees stay away from sites not appropriate in a business setting. The USB Protection feature allows you to restrict the use of random USB storage devices on company devices, while creating exceptions for approved drives. Looking at the same page in the AVG equivalent hub, those features don\u2019t appear.Online Dashboard for Administrators
When you or your employee sits down at a company PC protected by AVG, you\u2019ll see the local app that I\u2019ve described above. That\u2019s fine for the staff, but administrators have an additional level of control, which is managed online.AVG\u2019s Cloud Console
When you log in to AVG\u2019s cloud console, you get a display that\u2019s very similar to Avast\u2019s Business Hub. It even says \u201cAVG Business by Avast\u201d up in the corner. A menu running down the left side offers the same eight options: Dashboard, Alerts, Devices, Policies, Reports, Users, Company profile, and Subscriptions.
The initial dashboard page summarizes activity across all your company PCs. Front and center, you see the latest alerts, with the option to click and dig deeper for any of them. Each alert also comes with one or more action items, such as viewing the corresponding PC\u2019s quarantine or rebooting it into a boot-time scan.Remote Installation
The Devices page naturally lists all the devices in your network that are protected by AVG. Depending on just how many PCs you\u2019re protecting, physically going over to each one and installing protection could be tedious. That\u2019s why AVG, like Avast, offers remote installation.
The first step toward installing AVG remotely is to designate one PC on your network (most likely the one you use yourself) as a scanning agent. Then you launch a network discovery scan from the Devices page. The resulting report lists each found device by name, with its IP address and status. That status field is important. You\u2019ll want to apply a filter so that it shows all status types except Unmanageable. Now, in theory, you can remotely install protection on each device whose status is simply Unmanaged.
As with Avast, I found that I was unable to make remote installation work. My tech support contacts explained that remote installation is a beta feature, and that analysis shows almost nobody uses it. For now, you’ll need to use other techniques, such as emailing installation links to all employees. Once AVG is installed, you have full remote control of those company computers.Remote Monitoring and Management
On the Managed devices tab of the Devices page, you will find a list of all company computers with AVG active. If the device has any status other than \u201cNo issues,\u201d check the Alerts, as you can likely resolve the problem by taking the recommended actions.
You can also fix problems remotely from Norton\u2019s online console, but that\u2019s about it for remote management. With AVG, you can remotely restart or shut down a device (with a warning for the user). More useful, you can remotely launch a full, quick, custom, or boot-time scan. And there\u2019s an option to trigger updates for the program or for its virus definitions. Bitdefender offers a similar degree of remote management, though not as extensive as what you get with AVG or Avast.Policies Make You the Boss
Whether you succeed at remote installation, have security installed by sending email links, or manually install AVG from PC to PC, it would be a pain to dig in and configure each installation separately. ESET addresses this problem by allowing you to save settings from one correctly configured PC and then restore those settings to all the others. AVG, like Avast, has a much more polished system for managing all your protected PCs.
Every new installation obtains its settings from a predefined configuration, known as a Policy. A new installation uses the Default policy. AVG\u2019s documentation suggests using the default for all endpoint PCs and, if necessary, defining a separate policy for your company servers. Norton handles servers differently, offering up to five licenses for a server-specific edition. ESET licenses are compatible with either the standard endpoint suite or a server-specific version.
As noted, the default policy controls settings for every new installation. In addition, changes to the policy affect all computers associated with that policy. That being the case, you should review and adjust that policy before installing AVG on devices.
As you review the policy\u2019s antivirus settings, you\u2019ll see that quite a few include on\/off toggles, and most of those are on. I mentioned that Browser Defense and Remote Access Shield were turned off by default\u2014you could change that here in the policy editor. You can also drill down into each feature for detailed configuration options.
This remote configuration system is one of AVG\u2019s strongest points. If you\u2019re working on your local computer and get the urge to make a settings change for AVG, stop and consider whether you should make that change to the overall policy instead. That way, all your company’s computers benefit.Server Support for Exchange and SharePoint
Near the bottom of the scrolling list of antivirus policy settings, you\u2019ll find entries for Exchange and SharePoint. These aren\u2019t installed by default, since they don\u2019t belong on desktop computers. In the policy editor, these two don\u2019t have an on or off status selected, as they\u2019re not installed by default. The trash can icon is highlighted instead.
Clicking that trash can icon gets you the opportunity to install the corresponding protective component. Depending on whether you use Exchange, SharePoint, or both, you\u2019ll want to make these part of your policy for company servers.Other Policy Settings
Getting the antivirus settings just the way you want them is the biggest task in creating a policy, but it\u2019s not the only task. By default, firewall rules in the policy override any local changes. You surely don\u2019t want the employees making firewall decisions, so leave that in place. When defining policies for Avast, you get the option to configure the Web Control content filter and the USB Protection system, but AVG doesn\u2019t offer those features.
Your policy can define proxy settings for all company computers, if needed. Policy also controls the handling of configuration changes that require a system restart. By default, AVG restarts the system after hours and gives any after-hours users a 60-minute warning. You can choose to restart when the user logs out or restart as soon as possible. There\u2019s also an option to periodically restart the computer.<\/p>\n