Running a network without anti-virus software is taking a security risk.  Internet access and email have allowed a new generation of viruses to spread rapidly.  Virus creators have engendered more sophisticated and stealthy methods of attack and in an unprotected network the likelihood for infection and significant downtime increase.

As a network administrator, having the tasks of updating the signature files, scheduling and monitoring scans on all machines, squashing any potential or real virus infections, and educating users about not opening the email that says, “I love you” can be a huge time drain.  As an office manager or CFO, the downtime and loss of productivity a viral outbreak causes can be a great frustration.  

McAfee’s Total Virus Defense (TVD) is a product that can make any network or office administrator’s life easier.  TVD automates many of the enterprise-wide tasks involved in maintaining anti-virus defenses and provides a central point of management and control.  The benefits of this centralized management become apparent each time a new virus signature file arrives and you load it once into the repository and the management agent pushes it out to each desktop.

The downside is that the product does suffer from a lack of proper support (which can be remedied by the purchase of a support contract) and the documentation is a bit sparse.

McAfee's Total Virus Defense includes a server and workstation component and an optional email server addition.  It runs on either a Windows NTÔ, 2000Ô, or NetWareÔ network and requires a Windows NT management platform.

The management software controls the anti-virus domain and allows you to manage the machines in the domain, schedules updates and scans and produces reports through a GUI interface.  Adding a machine to the domain and applying the proper configuration takes only a few mouse clicks and the management agent loads the anti-virus software and settings on each machine.  

As mentioned the base support is “bring your own,” with access to the McAfee’s knowledge base and ftp site and low priority email support to back you up.  Additional support options can be added giving immediate phone access to technicians.  The documentation is a bit sparse at times, although referring to the knowledge base was certainly helpful.

One of the added benefits of TVD is that it is scalable.  You can run it on a single domain or in a multi-domain environment.  You also have the ability to set up a central repository which can manage multiple domains and their updates, which is a great bandwidth saver for those with leased lines.

If you are interested in further information about McAfee Total Virus Defense or virus defense in general you can call us at 503-641-3460 or email us at sales@sterling-nets.com.  McAfee’s website (www.mcafee.com) also has complete information about this and other products.