ESET Endpoint Security

This product is powered by the same engine that is used in the ESET NOD32 anti-malware client and extends functionality to the enterprise environment. ESET Endpoint Security also features full, client-side anti-spam, firewall and web content filtering and management. This allows administrators to easily manage potential threats all from one centrally managed console to ensure that all machines in the environment are protected against the ever-growing barrage of threats and malware.

Deployment is simple and took only a few minutes to get everything up and running. The initial installation required the server component be installed on a machine in the network. We found the server component to be fairly lightweight, so deployment of the server did not require a dedicated monster machine. After the server was installed, clients were deployed in a couple of different ways. The client package came as an MSI file, so we chose to deploy using Active Directory Group Policy. We found installation and deployment of the clients to be easy and straightforward.

After the server was installed and the clients deployed, all further management and configuration was done using the management console application on the server. We found this console to be simple to use and navigate, but it did take a few minutes to get acquainted with how to configure various policies to actually manage machines. With that said, this product provided a lot of great management capabilities and systems overview functions. The intuitive dashboard of the console gave a great overview of non-compliant or out-of date-systems and allowed for the push of updates with a single click of the mouse.

Documentation included both basic setup and full administrator guides. The former offered a quick overview of how to download and install the various components, along with a brief set of instructions on how to get a base policy in place and get the product up and running. The latter offered a lot more detail on both configuring the product and using features, along with many step-by-step instructions and feature descriptions. We did notice that while the basic setup guide had a lot in the way of screen shots and examples, the administrator guide lacked in this area. We would like to see more visuals throughout the administrator guide to enhance the documentation overall.

The company offers customers ongoing, no-cost, 12/5 phone- and email-based technical support. However, if 24/7 support is needed, customers can purchase a premium plan with options that start around $500 per year. Also available to customers at no cost is a large web-based area that includes a multitude of resources, including product and technical documentation, a knowledge base, supplemental instructional videos, news, malware resources and product downloads.

At a price of around $20 per seat from 500 to 999 seats, we find this solution to be a good value for the money. While it is mostly limited to malware protection on the endpoint versus an entire endpoint security suite, this tool has a lot to offer at a reasonable price.