With CATS Guardian Managed Antivirus protection, you get enterprise-class protection of all network endpoints with 24×7 monitoring and management by our team of technicians. We make sure that your environment regularly receives all of the necessary updates so that we can verify that you are protected at all times!
You might be wondering what the big deal is about managed antivirus solutions, or why you couldn’t just use a retail antivirus product to protect your business. The truth is, these products are great for the home-user, or even the small business user with one or two computers and no central networking architecture. But when you are dealing with centrally administered networks and equipment, stored data, shared applications, etc. the risks become high, so you must be proactive, and have your finger on the pulse of your network at all times. Networked environments like the ones we manage, are higher-profile targets for hackers and malware developers, so the stakes are higher.
Here are the benefits to using an enterprise-class managed antivirus product for your business.
- Reduced network traffic and administration time.
Most AV definition files are just 1 or 2 MB, which is not a bad download size at all for a single machine to handle. But on a networked environment with a few servers and PCs, you could see how the data transfer gets exponentially larger. On top of that, stand-alone antivirus software require each computer to be directly connected to the internet. This means opening a port in your firewall (if you have one) for all machines and downloading the same data repeatedly. Not a smart, or secure decision. - Continuous management.
With unmanaged solutions, many users turn the antivirus protection off because it can slow their computer down or because they believe their usage habits are not compromising security. Managed antivirus solutions usually can’t be uninstalled or turned off, meaning your systems are continually protected. - Nominal cost.
Most managed antivirus solutions are offered as a monthly package, where companies pay per user. For some companies, this solution is more affordable per user than a non-managed solution. This is especially true if you have a high number of users and need to purchase multiple licenses. - Across-the-board security.
With a managed service, your IT partner will make sure to install software on all your systems. This means that there should be the same program installed on your systems, and that the antivirus will be updated to ensure that systems are protected from new security threats that come along.
So, what’s the catch?
The first thing we look for with a premium product is catch. While the cost for a managed antivirus product is nominal, it’s true that the total rate can climb for very large organizations. This cost is usually still no more expensive than using unmanaged products on each device however. Even for those organizations conscious about their IT spending, consider the cost comparison between deploying a managed antivirus program, and the astronomical costs of having your entire network manually cleaned out in case of infection, and add to that the financial burden of lost or compromised data, disruption of workflow, and potential liability issues that can accompany data breaches. You’ll see quickly that no matter how you break it down, managed antivirus will save you money in the long-term!
When you should switch.
Simple. Now! For businesses with one or two computers, a managed antivirus shouldn’t be a pressing concern. But if you run an integrated IT environment with numerous machines and devices, fill out the form below and ask us for a quote on managed antivirus. There are a few technical requirements for deployment that most environments already have, like an always-on internet connection and current Operating System. We’d be happy to provide a no-cost assessment of your environment and let you know if managed antivirus protection is a viable choice for you.
