McAfee Total Protection Service FAQ
What is McAfee Total Protection Service?
What are the benefits of McAfee Total Protection Service?
Where is the McAfee Total Protection Service and Security Center hosted?
What is the McAfee Security Center within the Total Protection Service solution?
Does Total Protection Service require an Internet connection?
What are the system requirements for Total Protection Service?
How is Total Protection Service installed and deployed?
How long does it take to setup the McAfee software at my client's office?
Does McAfee Total Protection Service automatically uninstall other anti-virus products?
What is policy configuration and how does it help me and my clients?
Can I run an on-demand scan as desired?
What types of updates does the Total Protection Service automatically provide?
How often does the Total Protection Service solutions check for updates?
How does the Total Protection Service solutions update systems automatically?
How does Total Protection Service protect PCs from e-mail viruses?
How can I test the virus and spyware scanning in Total Protection for Small Business?
What is McAfee Total Protection Service?
McAfee Total Protection Service delivers the industry's first truly integrated security system that can be easily managed by VARs, OEMs and MSPs. Total Protection for Small Business offers an all-in-one integrated solution that includes McAfee anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall protection and centralized policy management via the McAfee SecurityCenter.
The unique McAfee automation technology simplifies security, ensuring always-on protection across desktops and servers. McAfee's easy-to-use web-based management and reporting console - The McAfee SecurityCenter-provides a single window to efficiency monitor and manage all of your clients.
McAfee Total Protection Service builds upon McAfee's heritage of delivering security and software-as-a-service, ensuring an "always on, always up-to-date" security environment. McAfee, which pioneered software as-a-service seven years ago, now has more than two million protected customers using this model.
What are the benefits of McAfee Total Protection Service?
- Protects your clients' systems automatically
Provides always-on McAfee antivirus protection with daily, automated security updates. - It's a single, comprehensive solution
Along with the McAfee SecurityCenter management console, Total Protection for Service delivers all-in-one desktop and server protection to combat viruses, spyware, and hacker attacks. - It's easy to use and easy to install
Deployment of the McAfee Total Protection software is quick and easy using the Kaseya Managed Services software or McAfee's online installation. - Affordable security and support
SecureMyCompany's unique month-to-month subscription pricing ensures continuous antivirus, antispyware and hacker protection for your clients for a low monthly price of $2.95/computer. - Single, centralized management console
McAfee SecurityCenter centralizes installation, configuration, reports, updates and group management for all of your managed systems-regardless of their location. - Comprehensive system protection
Integrated desktop and server McAfee antivirus, antispyware, and firewall protection proactively scans and blocks known threats, potentially unwanted programs, and hacker attacks from your managed systems.
Where is the McAfee Total Protection Service and Security Center hosted?
The McAfee Total Protection Service Software is compromised of two parts: the McAfee Total Protection desktop/server software and the McAfee Security Center.
The McAfee Total Protection desktop and server software is designed to be installed on your client's desktop or server for instant antivirus, antispyware and hacker protection. The McAfee Total Protection desktop and server software securely communicates with the McAfee Network Operations Center (NOC) to update the McAfee Security Center that provides monitoring, management and reporting.
The McAfee Security Center provides a centralized, web based management console with reporting and configuration control. At McAfee, their technology has earned the respect of leading analysts and has won numerous awards. The McAfee global network of hundreds of security experts is on duty around the clock to monitor threats, assess risks, and take any necessary action to keep you informed and your clients protected. These dedicated experts make McAfee AVERT® Labs one of the top-ranked security research organizations in the world.
What is the McAfee Security Center within the Total Protection Service solution?
The Security Center serves as your central point of management where policy configuration and reporting of the McAfee anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall solutions are integrated into a single, web-based management console.
Does Total Protection Service require an Internet connection?
The Total Protection Service solution is a web-based application that requires at least one system with an Internet connection to act as a relay in order to share the automatic updates with other computers. The scanning service is continuously active - even when not connected to the Internet, but an Internet connection is required for updates.
What are the system requirements for Total Protection Service?
Please review the System Requirements.
How is Total Protection Service installed and deployed?
The Total Protection Service solutions can be easily installed on multiple workstations by using a Kaseya script, login script or by sending the installation URL via e-mail to end-users.
With a click of a button, Total Protection Service is installed on the target system and within minutes the system is protected - no more CDs to install, no more manuals to read. Easily perform remote configuration and management via the McAfee SecurityCenter. For more information on the installation of the Total Protection Service solution, please review the "How it Works" section.
How long does it take to setup the McAfee software at my client's office?
Within minutes, the McAfee Total Protection Service software can be deployed to an unlimited number of systems using the Kaseya Managed Services software. Administrators simply select the target system(s) from within the Kaseya application and the McAfee Total Protection Service software will be deployed automatically.
Administrators can also use login scripts, software deployment software or the installation URL provided by McAfee. This flexible deployment architecture helps VARs and MSPs to easily provide and manage a comprehensive Internet security solution for their clients.
Does McAfee Total Protection Service automatically uninstall other anti-virus products?
Yes, installing Total Protection Service will automatically uninstall the virus scanning products listed below.
| Corporate |
Managed VirusScan (previous editions) |
| McAfee Retail |
VirusScan Retail 8.0 |
| Computer Associates |
eTrust AntiVirus 7.1 |
| Finjan |
SurfinShield Corporate |
| F-Secure |
AntiVirus 5.52 |
| Kaspersky |
AntiVirus Personal |
| Norton / Symantec |
Norton Internet Security 2004 ('home' & 'small office' editions) - uninstall AV |
| Panda |
AntiVirus 2.0 |
| Sophos |
Sophos Antivirus |
| Trend |
PC-Cillin Internet Security |
What is policy configuration and how does it help me and my clients?
The Total Protection Service solutions are preconfigured to install with immediate protection against viruses, unwanted spyware programs and hacker attacks. Using on-access scanning, McAfee immediately scans and blocks security threats for all your systems. System administrators can customize specific security policies for each client using the policy configuration located in the McAfee Security Center management console. McAfee makes it easy to schedule on-demand virus scans, set folder scan exclusions, create and manage groups of systems - all simply from the McAfee web-based portal.
Can I run an on-demand scan as desired?
Yes, you can schedule an on-demand scan to augment the regular on-access scans, which are standard for all users. By accessing this option from within the McAfee Security Center, you can force a computer to scan all its files and folders.
What types of updates does the Total Protection Service automatically provide?
An update may contain one or more of the following:
- Daily virus definition (DAT) files: Signatures for existing and new viruses and new security-risked spyware.
- Agent updates: Software changes to address a known issue or add a new scanning feature.
- Policy changes: Custom policies that apply to a group of computers (for example, scheduling an on-demand scan).
How often does the Total Protection Service solutions check for updates?
The installed McAfee agent constantly communicates with the McAfee Network Operations Center (NOC) for regular and emergency virus updates. Total Protection Service will automatically check for updates five minutes after logon. If a machine is left on, the agent will then check for an update at regular intervals, preconfigured at 12 hours, from the last successful update check. Additionally, from the secure, McAfee SecurityCenter web portal, the update interval time can be modified by an administrator to check for the updates up to every four hours or later.
How does the Total Protection Service solutions update systems automatically?
Throughout the day:
- The McAfee agent connects to the NOC to check if a new update is available.
- With an Internet connection, the computer connects directly.
- With no Internet connection, the computer connects via a relay server (any computer on the network with an Internet connection designated as a relay server during installation). This process is called Internet Independent Updating (IIU).
- The agent checks if any computer on the internal network already retrieved a new update, and if so, downloads the update from that computer, without having to connect to the Internet. This IIU process uses a feature known as McAfee's Rumor Technology, which saves bandwidth by sharing updates on the local network.
- At frequent intervals during the day, each computer uploads data to the NOC, which displays the information in the Web-based reports on the centralized management portal / Customer Home site. Data includes update status, detection history, and more.
- In the event of an outbreak, McAfee releases an emergency outbreak DAT. Typically, within an hour of its release, the Outbreak Response DAT is downloaded to computers. It is specially encoded to inform the first computer receiving it to share the update immediately with the rest of your computer network.
How does Total Protection Service protect PCs from e-mail viruses?
Total Protection for Small Business offers an On-Access Scanner. As files or e-mail attachments are accessed or opened in Microsoft Outlook, virus scanning is performed to detect viruses. McAfee will not clean infected e-mail messages before you see them, but rather stops the virus at the point of access.
How can I test the virus and spyware scanning in Total Protection Service?
Test the Total Protection Service solutions by downloading the test-virus "EICAR.COM" at http://www.eicar.org/download/eicar.com. When the EICAR test virus is detected, you should see a Virus Alert dialog pop-up on your screen and the EICAR test file will be denied Write access or deleted.
NOTE: EICAR.COM IS AN INDUSTRY STANDARD, NON-VIRAL TEST FILE THAT IS IDENTIFIED BY MANY ANTI-VIRUS PRODUCTS AS A TEST VIRUS. EICAR IS NOT AN ACTUAL VIRUS AND CANNOT DAMAGE YOUR SYSTEM.
