The AVG administrative server has two
roles: DataCenter performs all administrative
and monitoring activities, and UpdateProxy
downloads and distributes updates to managed
clients. I installed the admin server
on a Windows 2003 system with the default
Firebird database, which AVG says can support
installations of up to 150 endpoints. You
can also opt to use a SQL Server or Oracle 10G
database for larger installations.
You use the AVG Network Installer Wizard
to set up the AVG endpoint-protection
components on network-attached systems.
The AVG Admin Console, which Figure 5 shows, is the product’s primary administrative
interface. I also installed the console
and the UpdateProxy role on an XP system.
The admin server includes web-based
status reporting accessed at a custom port. A
graphic reports feature lets you schedule or
generate information from the DataCenter
role’s database with any of seven predefined
report templates.
The Network Installer Wizard is your primary
tool for AVG installation-related tasks.
You use Creation of AVG Installation Script mode to create installation packages to run
from a USB drive or network share. Remote
Network Installation mode installs AVG to
network-attached workstations.
The console supports full remote operations,
including running the Remote Installation
Wizard, and has a customizable
interface. In the stations node you can
create named groups to organize and manage
AVG client systems, which assume the
configuration you define in each group’s
shared settings or policies. AVG offers many
configurable options for user modification
that you can allow or prohibit. Firewall policies
are separate from the shared settings
that arrange the other components of AVG.
You can create several distinct firewall policies
and assign one per group.
AVG Internet Security Network Edition 8.0
PROS: Relatively easy to implement with an
understandable architecture; easy to configure and work with; configurable remote console;
provides named firewall policies simplify firewall
configuration
CONS: Offers only unnamed shared settings for
nonfirewall configuration; elementary reporting
and event notification; remote installation to Vista systems didn’t work
RATING: 3 out of 5
PRICE: From $259.99 for five endpoints to
$5,674.99 for 200 endpoints, including a one-year
subscription to updates
RECOMMENDATION: AVG Internet Security
Network Edition 8.0 is a workable product with
less polish in some of its features compared with
its competitors. I recommend it primarily for
midsized organizations that already have and like
other AVG products.
CONTACT: AVG Technologies • www.avg.com |
AVG 8.0 has a nice feature set and is
relatively simple to implement. The lack of
named shared settings for nonfirewall components
makes it a little harder to configure
those components when you have many
groups, but the ability to control which settings
you want to enforce on the client and
which the user can control is useful. On the
downside, AVG provides email notifications
for just 10 events and only rudimentary
reporting. Also, the remote installation features
didn’t work well for Vista systems in my
test, but direct installation worked, and the
console was able to push the configuration
out. I recommend Internet Security Network
Edition for midsized organizations that are
familiar with and like AVG products.
A Tough Choice
I rated all but one of the products I reviewed
four diamonds. (AVG Internet Security Network
Edition has configuration management
and deployment weaknesses that
earned it just three diamonds.) ESET Smart
Security is a good choice for its ease of
implementation and layered XML-based
configuration. McAfee Total Protection
Service would suite small organizations
with limited IT resources. Sophos Endpoint
Security shines for its endpoint-assessment
NAC feature. And large organizations will
appreciate Symantec Endpoint Protection’s
configurability and extensie reporting. All
things being equal (which they rarely are),
Endpoint Protection earned Editor’s Choice
as the best balanced product.