AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition

CNET Editors' review

by: Eddie Cho on April 05, 2013

AVG AntiVirus Business Edition 2013 continues the slimmer, flatter redesign from 2012, and brings the same interface improvements from its younger, smaller Free and Pro Antivirus counterparts.

The AVG installer will walk you through a few screens and present the option to install or omit additional products like Identity Protection, Email Scanner, and Surf-Shield. However, it also includes additional tools more appropriate for corporate IT environments, like Remote Admin. The AVG Toolbar is also offered, though, as opt-in as opposed to the opt-out setups found in the free counterparts. AVG does include Do Not Track, which some users may find an incentive for installation.

The actual installer, itself, is stripped down to 35.8 MB, lighter and snappier, as a result of redesign as with its younger cousins. Not having to reboot is an added plus.

Upon first opening, you'll notice a clean, colorful tile interface, looking very much like Modern UI via Windows 8. Taking cues from the native design of Windows 8, AVG AntiVirus Business Edition 2013 sports an interface that looks modern, approachable, and just plain clean. Not just for looks, the button layouts and simplified menu design greatly cater towards the touch-centric, keeping tiles nice and large, while menu items are spaced apart for easier interaction. The trial notifier can also be minimized out of sight.

Business Edition aims to reach the corporate environment and so omits the extra features from the consumer level suites like mobile protection and speed tests. Instead, Business Edition includes a Remote Admin feature that lets IT admins remotely access AVG Data Centers that are setup on client computers in the corporate networks and install protective measures straight from an Admin server. Though we weren't able to test remote scanning on a network- wide scale, AVG's individual scan evaluations can be found in our AVG AntiVirus 2013 review.

Even as a standalone performer, AVG Business Edition still maintains the security bar set from its other product lines. The big differentiator is how willing IT admins are to revamp their current corporate security placements and opt in for AVG. If your company is quick to adopt and adapt, then Business Edition already brings its stellar track record from its single user line. Replicating AVG's experience combined with a simplified remote management workflow makes this an attractive solution and at least worth testing for a trial run if your business is looking for reliable Internet security.