Labs

Corporate anti-virus software

Trend Micro OfficeScan/ServerProtect [PC Pro]
COMPANY: Trend Micro	PRICE: Ł24.50for 10 users each; 100 users, Ł18.56 each (all prices exc VAT)
RATING:	ISSUE: 100 DATE: Dec 02

Verdict: A wide range of protection tools at a low price, but the differing levels of features and two separate management consoles for workstations and servers add unnecessary complications.

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Trend Micro takes a two-pronged strategy against viruses - OfficeScan looks after workstations, while ServerProtect guards your Windows and NetWare servers. The biggest drawback of this approach is the need to install two disparate products and manage them using two separate consoles. This wouldn't be a major problem if the consoles were similar in design, but their lack of consistency is confusing.

Both products are simple to install and can create shared installation points for deployment using network shares and login scripts. OfficeScan requires a server to act as a central administration point, which can be running NetWare as well as Windows NT or 2000. From here, you're able to select multiple systems and swiftly deploy the client software across the network. Users get an OfficeScan utility for local use, and administrators

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can lock it down or allow access to specific scan settings.

Notification options are severely limited - all you get is a network message and a modified icon in the console for the relevant client. If you want features such as email, pager and SNMP trap support, you need to purchase Trend's optional VCS package. You may opt for web or file server-based versions of the management console, but we found that the latter has no option to automate definition updates, so they need to be downloaded and applied manually to each group of users.

The ServerProtect version kicks off by installing an Information Server to act as a central administration point. You then deploy Normal Server packages to the remaining systems. There are some similarities with the OfficeScan console, as all systems are neatly arranged in an Explorer-style tree structure and it's possible to view system attributes opposite.

However, far more features are on offer. You can select individual systems and run remote scans, create schedules to fully automate updates, and even select remote directories and files from the ServerProtect console and deny write access to them. Tasks are used exclusively to automate procedures and provide plenty of Wizard-based help to create schedules. Standard notification options are also far superior to OfficeScan, including email, pager activation via a modem and even a printed warning.