Setting up business-grade antivirus

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Setting up business-grade antivirus. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Setting up business-grade antivirus

This guide covers how to install, verify, and maintain business-grade antivirus protection on Windows and macOS devices. Follow these steps to ensure your device is protected against malware, ransomware, and other security threats.

Pre-installation check

Before installing business-grade antivirus software, you must check for conflicting security products. Running multiple antivirus programs at the same time can cause system instability, slow performance, and leave your device unprotected.

Check for existing third-party antivirus

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to “Apps” → “Installed apps”.
3. Look for security software such as Norton, McAfee, ESET, SentinelOne, Symantec, Avast, AVG, Kaspersky, or Bitdefender.
4. If you find third-party antivirus software, uninstall it before proceeding with the installation steps below.

Installation steps for Windows

Windows Defender / Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Windows Defender is built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. If your organisation uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, it may be managed centrally through Intune or SCCM.

Enable Windows Defender

1. Press Win + I → “Privacy & security” → “Windows Security”.
2. Click “Virus & threat protection”.
3. Under “Virus & threat protection settings,” click “Manage settings”.
4. Turn on “Real-time protection”.
5. Turn on “Cloud-delivered protection” and “Automatic sample submission” for enhanced detection.

Install via Company Portal (Intune/SCCM)

1. Press Win + S, type “Company Portal” or “Software Center”, and open the app.
2. Sign in with your company email address and password.
3. Go to “Apps” or “Available software”.
4. Search for “Microsoft Defender for Endpoint”, “SentinelOne”, “ESET”, “Symantec”, or “McAfee” depending on your organisation’s standard.
5. Click “Install” next to the approved antivirus application.
6. Wait for the installation to complete. You may need to restart your computer.

SentinelOne

1. Download the SentinelOne agent installer from your organisation’s security portal or Company Portal.
2. Run the installer as an administrator.
3. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete installation.
4. Restart your computer if prompted.
5. Confirm the SentinelOne icon appears in the system tray.

Symantec / Norton

1. Obtain the Symantec Endpoint Protection or Norton Business installer from your IT administrator or Company Portal.
2. Run the installer and enter your organisation’s licence key or subscription details if prompted.
3. Complete the setup wizard and restart your device if required.
4. Open the Symantec/Norton console and verify real-time protection is active.

McAfee

1. Download the McAfee Endpoint Security installer from your organisation’s approved software repository.
2. Run the installer with administrator privileges.
3. Enter your company licence information when prompted.
4. Restart your computer after installation finishes.
5. Open the McAfee console to confirm the status is “Protected”.

ESET

1. Download the ESET Endpoint Antivirus or ESET Endpoint Security installer.
2. Run the installer and accept the licence agreement.
3. Enter your organisation’s username and password or licence key.
4. Complete the installation and restart if prompted.
5. Open ESET and verify the protection status is green.

Installation steps for macOS

If your organisation uses Mac devices, business-grade antivirus is still required. Windows Defender is not available on macOS.

Install antivirus on macOS

1. Download the macOS installer for your organisation’s approved antivirus (for example, SentinelOne, ESET, Symantec, or McAfee) from the Company Portal or IT self-service portal.
2. Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag the application to the “Applications” folder.
3. Open the antivirus application from “Applications”.
4. If macOS blocks the app, go to “System Settings” → “Privacy & Security” → “Security” and allow the app to run.
5. Grant Full Disk Access when prompted: “System Settings” → “Privacy & Security” → “Full Disk Access”.
6. Enter your organisation’s licence key or sign in with company credentials.
7. Restart your Mac if prompted.

Verify successful installation and activation

Windows verification

1. Open “Windows Security” → “Virus & threat protection”.
2. Check that the status reads “No action needed” or “You’re protected”.
3. Look for your company antivirus icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner of the screen).
4. Open the antivirus console and confirm the licence is active and not expired.

macOS verification

1. Open the antivirus application from “Applications”.
2. Check the dashboard for a green or “Protected” status.
3. Confirm real-time scanning is enabled.
4. Verify the licence subscription is current.

Configure real-time protection and scheduled scans

Windows Defender settings

1. Open “Windows Security” → “Virus & threat protection”.
2. Under “Virus & threat protection settings,” click “Manage settings”.
3. Ensure “Real-time protection” is ON.
4. Ensure “Cloud-delivered protection” is ON.
5. Under “Exclusions,” review that no critical system folders are excluded unless directed by IT.

Schedule a scan

1. Open “Windows Security” → “Virus & threat protection”.
2. Click “Scan options”.
3. Select “Full scan” for a comprehensive check, or schedule regular quick scans through your company antivirus console.
4. Click “Scan now” to start.

Confirm definition updates are working

Check for updates

1. Open “Windows Security” → “Virus & threat protection”.
2. Under “Virus & threat protection updates,” click “Check for updates”.
3. Install any available definition updates.
4. Restart your computer if prompted.

Third-party antivirus updates

1. Open your company antivirus console (SentinelOne, Symantec, McAfee, ESET, etc.).
2. Look for “Updates”, “LiveGrid”, “Content updates”, or “Definitions”.
3. Click “Check for updates” or “Update now”.
4. Confirm the update timestamp is recent (within the last 24 hours).

Verify business-grade license status and central management

Business-grade antivirus requires an active licence and connection to your organisation’s central management console. Without this, your device may not receive policy updates or central monitoring.

Check licence status

1. Open your antivirus management console.
2. Navigate to “Licence”, “Subscription”, “About”, or “Account”.
3. Confirm the licence is active and note the expiry date.
4. If the licence is expired or missing, contact IT Support immediately.

Confirm central management connectivity

1. Open the antivirus console.
2. Look for “Management server”, “Console”, “Cloud connection”, or “Endpoint status”.
3. Ensure the status shows “Connected”, “Managed”, or “Reporting”.
4. If the status shows “Unmanaged” or “Not reporting,” your device is not receiving central security policies.

What to do if installation is blocked

Blocked by existing security software

1. Uninstall any conflicting third-party antivirus using the steps in the Pre-installation check.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Run the approved antivirus installer again.
4. If the block persists, download and run the official removal tool for the conflicting software from that vendor’s website.

Blocked by group policy

1. If you see a message stating “Your organisation manages this setting,” your device is controlled by group policy.
2. You cannot override these settings locally.
3. Contact IT Support via Open a Ticket and request that antivirus be deployed to your device.
4. Provide your device name and any error codes shown.

What to do if a threat is detected

Step 1: Follow on-screen recommendations

• The antivirus will often quarantine threats automatically.
• Do not ignore alerts or dismiss them without reading.

Step 2: Take recommended action

• Click “Clean threats”, “Remove”, or “Quarantine” if prompted.
• Let the antivirus complete the removal process.
• Restart your computer if needed.

Step 3: If the threat can’t be removed

1. Note the exact name of the threat.
2. Contact IT Support immediately via Open a Ticket.
3. Do not try to manually delete files unless directed by IT.
For detailed guidance on handling alerts, see Antivirus alerts - what to do.

False positives affecting business operations

A false positive occurs when legitimate business software is incorrectly flagged as malware.

Steps to resolve a false positive

1. Do not disable antivirus protection to bypass the block.
2. Note the file name, file path, and threat name from the antivirus alert.
3. Contact IT Support via Open a Ticket and provide these details.
4. IT can analyse the file and add an exclusion if it is safe.

Antivirus best practices

• Never disable real-time protection, even temporarily.
• Never install unapproved security software. See How to install approved software.
• Keep Windows and macOS updated; security updates are critical. Refer to How to update Windows.
• Don’t open suspicious email attachments.
• Only download software from approved sources.
• Report any antivirus alerts you don’t understand to IT Support.

Common issues

“Antivirus is turned off”

• Turn real-time protection back on immediately in Windows Security or your antivirus console.
• If it keeps turning off, another security product may be conflicting with it. Uninstall the conflicting software.
• Contact IT Support if the issue continues.

“Definitions are out of date”

• Run Windows Update.
• Check for updates within your antivirus console.
• Restart your computer and check again.
• If definitions remain out of date, your internet connection or central management link may be faulty. Contact IT Support.

“Can’t install company antivirus”

• Ensure you have administrator rights on the device.
• Uninstall any existing third-party antivirus first.
• Check the Company Portal or Software Center for the approved installer.
• Contact IT Support via Open a Ticket if installation still fails.

“Windows Defender is disabled by group policy”

• This means your organisation manages security settings centrally.
• You cannot enable Windows Defender locally.
• Install the company-approved antivirus via Company Portal instead.
• Contact IT Support if no approved antivirus is available for your device.

Need more help?

Contact IT Support if:

• Antivirus keeps being disabled
• You can’t update definitions
• A threat can’t be removed
• Installation is blocked by group policy or existing software
• Your licence status shows as expired or unmanaged
• You’re unsure what antivirus to use

Open a support request via Open a Ticket.

Still Having Issues?

Need more help? If the issue persists after trying these steps, please open a support ticket and our team will assist you.

💻 Open a Ticket

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