MaxFocus (formerly GFI) formally released today a new AV engine, powered by BitDefender, for their Remote Management (RMM) platform. You can read the details on their blog site.

Their current AV engine (Vipre) will be supported for the near future, which will allow us to test and transition customers to BitDefender in an orderly manner.

For MSPs, like myself, there are several new things that will make managing AV easier and better:

1. There are only three policies (server, desktop and laptop) with BD, versus separate policies for different O/S and Server versions
2. Snooze feature allows you to temporarily disable the Managed Antivirus (MAV) for up to one hour when doing system maintenance on a device. Previously, you would need to create a “Disable AV” policy and then move a device or system to that policy.
3. Direct communication from the dashboard to MAV managed devices is now available. This means that scanning and update commands are sent instantly, rather than waiting for the next time the device checks in with the system.

Customers and users may ask why a new AV engine?

The threat landscape in today’s environment is constantly changing. So it is critical that we offer the best solution for antivirus and malware protection . Some of the benefits for customers are;

1. BitDefender has been shown to be more effecting against fighting malware and viruses, with less false positives
2. Behavioral (heuristic) scanning is added, along with Active Protection, provides another layer of defense

For your reading pleasure:

• AV-Test Best Performance – Bitdefender
• PCMag BitDefender Receives Advanced+ Rating
• AV-Comparatives AV Chart March to June 2015