Battle Keep Avast Pro + Malwarebytes or Emsisoft Enterprise?

karnalta

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Aug 22, 2016
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Hi,

In our company, we currently have Avast Pro on about 15 computers (office computer) and I am thinking on adding a malware protection due to recent ranconware attack that avast didn't even reacted to (before or after).

But I am a bit confused about two case I am thnking of :

- We at the moment pay about 500€ / year for avast (antivirus) and adding Malwarebyte to it (malware) will add another 750€ / year to that. 1250€ / year is still reasonable for 15 computers but..

- On another hand, we have Emsisoft Enterprise which claim to be antivirus + antimalware and will cost 300€ / year for 15 computers...

I heard a lot of good things about Emsisoft but why a so big price difference ? I feel like I will loose some security by using it alone (I know it has no real sense).

Or should I keep Avast + Emsisoft ?

What are you thinking ?

Thank for help.
 

SHvFl

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If you use Windows i would switch to EIS in a heartbeat because it offer better protection(tested home edition obviously but it should be similar). At protection EIS is the clear winner though you need to run the trial on one of the systems and see if it has any problem. Some things are system specific and you don't want to switch and then regret it.
Also if you don't take offline backup do it. One fail from your protection and you lose all your files and network shares. If i was you i would check what kind of backup you guys use and then try the program switching because no protection it's perfect.

Btw what exact version are you looking at? Maybe you are checking a version without a firewall and the other has one?
 

karnalta

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Aug 22, 2016
7
EIS is not available for enterprise.

We have daily file backup, weekly full VM backup, and so but an user opening a spam attached file is so quickly happened. And even with a backup we could easily lost a day of work and a day of restoration. We also have a Sophos ATM with web filtering but there again, it's not perfect and user error is always possible. Avast alone seem completely useless against malware, he is probably not designed for that purpose.

I am looking at the only version available for enterprise which is called EmsiSoft Anti-Malware for enterprise but which is mentionned as anti-virus as well.

If Emsisoft is at least as good as malwarebyte against malwares, I could keep Avast + Emsisoft (if there aren't conflict). I will still be financially winner.
 

SHvFl

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I don't think AVAST+ EAM would make sense. I personally would not run 2 AV on one system even if they work together and my hardware can handle it.
An antivirus can't figure out everything. EAM has a good behaviour blocker but like everything is not perfect. Avast is also trying to do that but current version fails to do it properly.
Maybe if you have time do EAM and another tool(sandbox) to isolate email client and office. That seems like the safest bet if you have fast clickers on your company that open everything they see.
 

Atlas147

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I think you should definitely look at the business solutions instead of going with premium AVs that are meant for home users. The benefit of that is that an admin would be able to look at all the detections that occur and his/her response time would be faster compared to 15 individual AVs. Symantec (AKA Norton) is widely used in many industries, and has been a strong contender for their endpoint security (AKA business solutions) so you can consider them.

If you want a stronger protection I think Kaspersky has an endpoint security plan as well, however the pricing might be slightly more expensive.

However Avast also has very strong detection capabilities so even with this upgrades you might still get hit by other malware. The best bet is still to educate your staff about the threats of phishing and other malware that can be attached to emails and potentially infect the entire company.
 

Kuttz

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As @Hanmin147 suggested going with business solutions instead of standalone anti virus is more effective and its centralized management makes it convenient as well. Regarding switching from Avast to Emsisoft wont necessarily offer improved protection as both are top notch performers. Avast, Emsisoft, Kaspersky all had business solutions and you can pick whichever suites you better.
 

karnalta

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Aug 22, 2016
7
I think you should definitely look at the business solutions instead of going with premium AVs that are meant for home users. The benefit of that is that an admin would be able to look at all the detections that occur and his/her response time would be faster compared to 15 individual AVs. Symantec (AKA Norton) is widely used in many industries, and has been a strong contender for their endpoint security (AKA business solutions) so you can consider them.

If you want a stronger protection I think Kaspersky has an endpoint security plan as well, however the pricing might be slightly more expensive.

However Avast also has very strong detection capabilities so even with this upgrades you might still get hit by other malware. The best bet is still to educate your staff about the threats of phishing and other malware that can be attached to emails and potentially infect the entire company.

Yes I am looking for endpoint type protection, our avast licence end in October and I will replace them with Avast Endpoint Security (which wasn't not existing 3 years ago). I am seduced by these admin console to facilitate the incidents overview. And for enterprise version of Malwarebytes or Emsisoft there is also a console to manage individual clients.

Maybe I could look into endpoint softwares that does Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware at the same time ? Any recommendations ?
 

karnalta

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Aug 22, 2016
7
As @Hanmin147 suggested going with business solutions instead of standalone anti virus is more effective and its centralized management makes it convenient as well. Regarding switching from Avast to Emsisoft wont necessarily offer improved protection as both are top notch performers. Avast, Emsisoft, Kaspersky all had business solutions and you can pick whichever suites you better.

Yes, I am looking into their business product as told above, but even the business solution of Avast is only an anti virus and has no real malware protection. And strangely, 300€ / year is the price for Emsisoft enterprise protection, .. I have not looked into home computer versions.

I should have stated in my initial post that I am only looking for product that have "enterprise" version, of course. But all major softwares providers does.
 
D

Deleted Member 3a5v73x

Maybe I could look into endpoint softwares that does Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware at the same time ? Any recommendations ?
Check out Zemana SafeOnline Prices should be very friendly as well. In my country hospital all PC's are running Avast Endpoint Security on Win7, and my god, its resource hog (many clients complain about unresponsiveness/slowness of PC's when working with a lot files) , i wouldn't advice it (personal experience). My next choice after Zemana SafeOnline would be Kaspersky Small Office Security if you have less than 50 clients. Kaspersky Personal & Family Security Software $604.50 for 15 clients on 1yr.
 

Atlas147

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Yes I am looking for endpoint type protection, our avast licence end in October and I will replace them with Avast Endpoint Security (which wasn't not existing 3 years ago). I am seduced by these admin console to facilitate the incidents overview. And for enterprise version of Malwarebytes or Emsisoft there is also a console to manage individual clients.

Maybe I could look into endpoint softwares that does Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware at the same time ? Any recommendations ?
Usually all endpoint solutions act as an Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware, they basically do the same thing even though they have different names. You can have a look at these solutions, I feel that they have been mentioned several times by different companies and should offer enough protection to your company.
Kaspersky Endpoint
Malwarebytes Endpoint
Symantec Endpoint
Cylance Endpoint
Sophos Endpoint

On top of the endpoint security you should also look to see if you are able to isolate individual VMs so if one is infected with ransomware it won't affect the work done by others on the same network. I'm no expert in this network restriction so you'd have to ask an IT expert to come in and help you set that up.
 

Kuttz

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@karnalta
I didn't get you fully. What do you mean by real malware protection ? The business solutions offered by Avast, Emsisoft, Kaspersky all offers malware protection. I think you may be confusing anti virus with Malwarebytes anti malware. You should know clearly that Malwarebytes anti-malware solution is used as a complement but Not as a substitute for anti virus. That is one installs Malwarebytes in addition to anti virus software for "greater protection" whether one needs such a configuration is a personnel choice.
 
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karnalta

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Aug 22, 2016
7
@karnalta
I didn't get you fully. What do you mean by real malware protection ? The business solutions offered by Avast, Emsisoft, Kaspersky all offers malware protection. I think you may be confusing anti virus with Malwarebytes anti malware. You should know clearly that Malwarebytes anti-malware solution is used as a complement but Not as a substitute for anti virus. That is one installs Malwarebytes in addition to anti virus software for "greater protection" whether one needs such a configuration is a personnel choice.

Avast Pro doesn't do anything againt malware like ranconware. And yes, malwarebyte is a complement to an antivirus. It was the main deal of my post initialy, Avast + Malwarebyte or an all-in one solution like Emsisoft. I am aware that anti virus and malware are two "different" things, but honestly until today I was thinking that malwares weren't really dangerous, I saw them like search bar, unwanted ads, surf spying, ... But since I got a ranconware propagating in my network share.. I now see them like the real menace :)

So a endpoint global solution seem the way to go for me, but it's not state clearly who protect against what, but if the endpoint solution cited by Hanmin147 do both, I will for sure look into one of these in replacement of my Avast Pro licences. I am here cause it take time to be aware of the current protection market, which softwares work well, which menaces is the most common, ... And I don't really have that time, so I am just here with tons of company offering protection without knowing which are the more adapted to my case.

My backup and network security is "fine" (if an user need a full access to certains files for his work, I can't avoid a virus to do so), but we lost a bit of work with that ranconware. Our company can't afford complex system like server clustering, daytime replication, ... I am limited to a minimum of h-24 backup. So a good malware protection to avoid that kind of incident is certainly more affordable ;)
 

Evjl's Rain

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How about Kaspersky Small Office Security & WinPatrol Enterprise
Kaspersky can protect against all kinds of viruses and malwares | 5 PCs = $299
WinPatrol has all features of WinAntiRansom. It is the best against ransomware (ranconware? if I'm not mistaken) | 50% off until 31/8 - $19.98/PC, more PCs can be a bit cheaper
 
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karnalta

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Aug 22, 2016
7
How about Kaspersky Small Office Security & WinPatrol Enterprise
Kaspersky can protect against all kinds of viruses and malwares | 50 PCs = $299
WinPatrol has all features of WinAntiRansom. It is the best against ransomware (ranconware? if I'm not mistaken) | 50% off until 31/8 - $19.98/PC, more PCs can be a bit cheaper

Yes, I think I will go with Kaspersky. It seem complete and affordable.

And yes "ransomware", I am french speaking so I am spelling it wrongly ;)

I am just a bit hesitant between Small Office Security or Endpoint Security "Select". Budget is about the same for 25 posts.

When they told in the requirements for the Select package : "Dedicated Server".
I suppose they are simply talking about a server where we can install the server side of the program ? They don't require a fully dedicated server ?

Because the "Simplified" Security Center on the Small Office Security version sound a bit like a lose of control on what you can do.
 

Evjl's Rain

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Yes, I think I will go with Kaspersky. It seem complete and affordable.

And yes "ransomware", I am french speaking so I am spelling it wrongly ;)

I am just a bit hesitant between Small Office Security or Endpoint Security "Select". Budget is about the same for 25 posts.

When they told in the requirements for the Select package : "Dedicated Server".
I suppose they are simply talking about a server where we can install the server side of the program ? They don't require a fully dedicated server ?

Because the "Simplified" Security Center on the Small Office Security version sound a bit like a lose of control on what you can do.
sorry for my mistake, Kaspersky for 15PCs is ~$604 :confused:
I think it is better than Endpoint Security for Business Select because they have some extra features which can be useful, similar to Home protection. "select" doesn't have
I think Dedicated Server means there should be 1 server PC that a security guy uses to control all other PCs but this is for expert/IT professional. It is better to go for Small Office security (simplicity)

you can download a trial version to see what fits you the best
 
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W

Wave

I recommend that as a company you should lock-down all the systems to only allow trusted programs to run (via the use of anti-executable - AppGuard is a good option), and on top of this either keep using Avast or use Emsisoft Internet Security instead. One big advantage I feel EIS has compared to Avast is the available features for zero-day protection components - I don't believe that the HIPS present in Avast is as good as it can be, and you'd be much better utilising the Behaviour Blocker component within the Emsisoft security products.

If you lock-down your system for running carefully selected trusted programs only (with the exception of the actual OS programs of course), you'll be much safer since your staff will be unable to download additional programs and run them without having it passed through the administrators in control of the trusted programs selections; this eliminates a lot of risk for staff accidentally downloading malware from being social engineered via a targeted e-mail or from the internet believing it is something else, then running this download and becoming infected.

I should note that ransomware attacks are common via exploits of software (e.g. Microsoft Office software) and for this reason I recommend making use of Anti-Exploit software which supports such products - you could look into using Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit or HitmanPro.Alert. Therefore, if one of your staff receive an e-mail containing a word document and they decide to download and open this without doing proper guideline checks first, and this turns out to be ransomware which will exploit the Microsoft Office Word software (for example), then there is a chance the Anti-Exploit will eliminate this issue, depending on the exploit of course.

All in all, no product is full-proof and Avast cannot detect and block everything. It's down to you and your staff to follow good practises whilst using the systems (and especially when handling unknown removable devices), otherwise you'll become infected and have your systems compromised regardless of whatever protection mechanisms you have set-up.

Good luck! :)
 
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