Antivirus Updates

An Example: Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition

Many antivirus server solutions exist on the market today, and it is beyond the scope of this book to cover each and every one of them here. But for clarity, and for a good example, we choose one of the most popular, tried and true solutions: Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition (CE) . Made by Symantec Corporation ( creators of the popular Norton AntiVirus consumer software), the company has a longstanding reputation as one of the best antivirus software solution providers in the world. Symantec Antivirus CE gives the Active Directory administrator several weapons in the war with the virus:

• Easy installation of antivirus client software via logon scripts

• Client software and virus updates may be " pushed " to client computers on the network at regular intervals in an attempt to keep them ahead of the threat

• A centralized MMC snap-in interface to manage all antivirus client computers

• An alert system designed to notify the administrator when a virus threat is detected

• Support for older Windows 98 and Me clients

Symantec AntiVirus CE consists of three main elements:

• The antivirus Server, which provides a centralized point in which to administer antivirus updates and respond to virus threats

• The antivirus client software, which runs on each client computer and actively scans for viruses

• The Alert Management System (AMS), which notifies the administrator of viral threats as well as other antivirus activities

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Remember that Symantec AntiVirus CE is not the only antivirus solution out there. We use it here only as an example. Other solutions are available from Network Associates/Mcafee (http://www. mcafee .com), Sophos (http://www. sophos .com), and Trend Micro (http://www.trendmicro.com).