Best Antivirus Software for Small Business

Bitdefender tops the list as the best overall antivirus software for small businesses, offering its GravityZone suite of subscriptions specifically for small business owners. Like many antivirus software providers, Bitdefender GravityZone takes an automated approach to business security, focusing on anticipating potential risk areas and defending against cyberattacks.

Specifically, the software includes anti-malware and anti-exploit features that scan and analyze your devices for viruses, worms, or other types of malicious software. You can also stay updated on the software’s effectiveness through a digital console and dashboard, which tracks endpoint coverage and allows you to manage your workspace.

At the same time, some of the service plans have recently been discontinued, including GravityZone Business Security, which may concern users seeking long-term service options. Additionally, many features offered by other providers, such as device control and protection for email and mobile devices, are only available as add-ons. If you need access to these solutions, consider ESET Protect, which provides a range of enterprise-grade security features.

• HyperDetect: Even before an attack occurs, advanced threat protection focuses on detecting potential security risks and suspicious activity so that you can worry less about the safety of your data and technology.
• Business assets monitoring: Track the security of your business email, credit cards, and social media accounts to ensure that they aren’t vulnerable to cyberattacks. If your assets have been threatened, Bitdefender provides security recommendations and next steps.
• GravityZone console: Visit the dashboard to receive an overview of endpoints and blocked threats, as well as generated reports and risk assessments.

For small business owners who are operating remote businesses, Avast Business Antivirus is the best option for cloud-based business management. While some business owners believe they won’t need antivirus software for all their devices and networks, Avast provides comprehensive security protection that covers multiple devices and endpoints.

IT professionals can greatly benefit from the Avast Business Hub, which allows for the management of multiple devices and networks from a single, central console. This is crucial for overseeing a remote workspace or customer networks. The sandbox feature also allows you to test applications or software in a secure environment, ensuring that your computer or network remains uncompromised while identifying a potential threat.

However, there are a few features that Avast doesn’t offer in its Business Security plans, such as patch management and extended detection and response. So, if you require more advanced protection, I recommend Webroot, which offers patch management and various endpoint solutions that are beneficial for businesses that need full coverage support.

• Avast Business Hub: Use the cloud console to manage your security features across networks and protect customer data and profiles.
• USB protection: Control access to external devices by ensuring they can’t access any of your end users’ data without permission.
• Personal VPN: Avast offers a virtual private network (VPN) service for secure browsing, wherever you work.

Small business owners who need to comply with specific industry standards should consider ESET Protect as the best option for enterprise-grade security. Each subscription plan offers unique regulatory standards with a focus on cybersecurity compliance. In this sense, standard antivirus protection, such as anti-phishing features, is supported by server security and investments in regulatory frameworks.

Whether you are a healthcare provider who needs to comply with the HIPAA or someone who accepts payments from customers and needs to follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), ESET has a solution for you.

But the primary issue with ESET Protect is its pricing and subscription structure. Of all the antivirus software providers, ESET has the highest subscription prices. And, while most providers allow you to purchase plans by device, ESET has a minimum subscription requirement of five devices. Therefore, solopreneurs and budget-conscious business owners should consider Norton Small Business, which offers subscription plans starting at $79.99 and charges based on the number of employees instead of devices.

• Mobile threat defense: Extend your security features to both Android and iOS devices, ensuring the safety of company data and protection against unwanted apps.
• Ransomware remediation: In the event of a ransomware attack, the remediation feature will recover and back up any corrupted files.
• Full disk encryption (FDE): Encrypt complete system disks, drives, or partitions to ensure that your data is compliant with security and regulations.

Webroot Business Endpoint Protection is one of the best options for automated antivirus software because it incorporates predictive analytics and threat monitoring into a multi-layered approach that prevents malware from infecting your system. It also creates a process log of where and how a threat was able to infiltrate the system. If a change is made, Webroot can also access backup files and restore them to their original state.

In comparison to other providers, Webroot offers antivirus software that prioritizes endpoint protection, which not only covers computers and networks but also servers and virtual machines. Therefore, Webroot’s endpoint protection software is excellent for businesses with cloud computing systems, extensive digital archives, or virtual storage.

Although many of the providers on this list offer a suite of scalable business plans, Webroot’s business plans are focused on providing specific services. This means that features like VPN services require purchasing a separate bundle. If you want more all-inclusive software, choose Avast, which offers personal VPNs on its highest-tier plans.

• Evasion shield: Turn on this protective feature to safeguard your network and devices from script-based attacks.
• Device isolation: Using agent commands, Webroot allows you to isolate a device from both internal and external network traffic, ensuring that an infected device does not spread a virus or malware to other devices.
• Process tree: Visualize the initial process and any subsequent activities to understand the sequence of events leading up to a threat or cyberattack. You can then delve deeper into each step of the process to better protect your workspace.

Although each provider on this list offers antivirus software for smaller teams, Norton Small Business stands out because it also provides social media and employee identity monitoring. Instead of simply focusing on protecting devices or a network, Norton searches for leaked account information and compromised data outside of your workspace, providing an extra layer of protection for your business identity.

With financial monitoring, the software also picks up any suspicious activities in your bank accounts, which is beneficial for safeguarding your business transactions. Norton also creates a secure browsing environment by offering features like an encrypted password vault for generating and saving passwords, and secure VPNs for browsing on the go.

Norton Small Business is designed specifically for small businesses, but it’s worth noting that other providers on this list offer device-based subscriptions, whereas Norton uses an employee-based subscription model. This approach can be suitable for solopreneurs or small teams.

However, the ten-employee limit can be a drawback for larger organizations. If your business has more than 10 employees, consider Bitdefender GravityZone, which offers scalable plans that cater to businesses of all sizes.

• Employee identity monitoring: Add your employee’s information to a contact list so you are alerted if their information is compromised or leaked in a data breach.
• Device cleanup: For Windows PC users, Norton offers a file cleanup and optimization feature that automatically removes any unwanted or unused files.
• Password manager: One of the simplest ways to keep your information safe is by protecting your business accounts. Norton’s password vault generates complex passwords, identifies weak passwords, and safely saves previous ones.