New Post on Godfrey B2B Blog

If you struggle trying to get large files to-and-fro over the Interwebs, check out my blog post on Godfrey's B2B Insights area. It's about YouSendIt, a great service to help you move large files around - files that might be too big for email attachments.

Yes, I know - I wrote about this service here in March 2008. The point of my Godfrey piece, however, is that a service like YouSendIt is excellent for ad agencies, for very specific reasons. We deal with massive amounts of files - many of them quite large - that often have tight delivery deadlines. Read the blog post to see how it helps us.

AVG and Me

If I've ever helped you with virus problems on your PC, chances are one of the issues was that your old antivirus software was outdated, expired, ineffectual, or resource-heavy. That's when I probably recommended AVG Free antivirus. The price is nice: free for personal use, without sacrificing the basic protection most users need.

For businesses, an AVG commercial version is also a good choice - although it's not free. BUT, you get a lot of additional components, options, and management tools - the kind of stuff required in corporate environments. And although I haven't done exhaustive price comparisons, it's cheaper than many of the other brands out there and AVG promises steep discounts for yearly renewals.

We ditched Symantec AV (SAV) at Godfrey a few months back in favor of AVG's Small Business Server edition, and it's been great. We were starting to have compatibility issues with our old version of SAV, and frankly what I'd seen of Symantec's new offerings left me less than impressed. The "bloatware" train just keeps on rolling at Symantec.

AVG consumes fewer system resources that SAV, yet also adds spyware, malware, and dangerous link protection along with AV. This means you could ditch Windows Defender, AdAware, Spybot, or other overlapping-applications, further freeing-up of resources.


AVG's interface is clean, intuitive, and informative.

From my standpoint as the network administrator, the central management tools are solid. I set up an AVG server and within half an hour or so, was able to use the AVG Admin Console, push-install the AVG program to all the desktops and laptops on our network, update their definitions, and create custom settings to distribute to everybody. It's got great reporting tools, keeping me updated on everything from new virus definitions to non-compliant workstations (computers with some sort of error, such as a virus, spyware infection, outdated definitions, etc.).


AVG Admin Console - the brains behind my network's antivirus defenses

Downsides? Well, it's a good thing the AVG server and client components are generally easy to set-up and use, because the documentation is spotty and at times downright confusing. Relying on their FAQs and product pages, it took me a long time to sort through the differences between the versions. Nowhere did any help files mention, in exacting terms, that you use the same installer for both workstations and servers (FYI, the installer automatically detects the platform and installs the proper components). That took several tech support requests to figure out, requests which weren't exactly answered in a speedy fasion.

I was REALLY frustrated with how AVG organizes its downloads; the email link I received after purchasing the software on AVG's web site didn't have descriptions next to any of the 5 download links, and the file names themselves were not descriptive. They could do a much better job with delivery and documentation, to be sure. The limitations are senseless and self-imposed. A little bit of useability testing would have gone a long ways, folks.

I mentioned before that Symantec had that "bloatware" feel to it. In fairness, AVG comes with a lot of components, too. I chose not to install "the works" at first. Instead, I installed the basic coverage, and then tested the other parts such as LinkScan and WebShield, adding them one at a time and testing as I went along. (The only component I didn't install was the anti-spam module; our email is already protected from spam by a Barracuda.) After all AVG components were installed, Windows still ran smoothly and none of the components appeared to have interfered with normal email or web operations. The biggest test is this: does it catch what it's supposed to, and are users happy? The answer, for us at least, is yes in both cases.

All in all, despite the documentation and installer confusion issues, I'm glad we went with AVG.

Four quick, final points:

1. First, the link and info above is for the corporate version of AVG, presented here for benefit to IT administrators and uber-geeks. For your home PC, go here.
2. Second, antivirus software is only as good as your updating habits, so make sure you stay current with updates and subscriptions. And having good AV software does NOT negate the need for you to run a router-based firewall, or keep current with Windows Updates.
3. Third, don't get too attached to one AV program or another. You're dating, not getting married. A year from now, the landscape could be totally different. Symantec's corporate version used to be GREAT.
   
4. NEVER install a new antivirus program without removing the old one first.