Sophos AntiVirus allows you to either install it on each workstation or deliver it from the server. You can designate a PC as your server, but it will only be able to administer 10 PCs in a workgroup and therefore each time you require multiple installations a new 'server' must be assigned for the new workgroup. This means it is ideal for the smaller business model, but although scaleable may not prove ideal for the larger SME.
Installation is pretty quick. Again, as with most software installations for a Windows environment, you get a wizard-based walk-through, which holds your hand every step of the way. This ensures a simple and easy to administer solution that needs no special expertise to accomplish. Once installed the latest virus definitions can be downloaded to ensure you have up-to-date protection from day one.
Sophos AntiVirus provides its users with on-access disinfection so that any infected file that you attempt to open is dealt with, letting you then use the clean contents as normal. However, if the contents have been altered they will remain as the anti-virus solution can't repair them. Updates are automatic and come from the server in a workgroup installation model. So, if your server is up to date your network will have the latest protection. Of course, the proof of the pudding as they say is in the eating, so we need to look at how it coped with our rigorous test environment.
The one thing most solutions have in common is their ability to detect and disinfect mainstream viruses. Sophos AntiVirus was no exception, providing a very respectable score in both Test 1 and Test 2.
The polymorphic test was no match for it either and again a perfect 100 percent result was achieved by this solution.
The second division viruses in Test 4 were no match for Sophos AntiVirus either and it sailed through to finish with another perfect score.
Macros, though depleted in number, are still a threat and where certain solutions found these harder to detect Sophos AntiVirus managed 100 percent with ease.
Its speed was also on top, with a 2 second scan time, which equalled our best scores.