Comparing McAfee Enterprise And McAfee Home Edition

There is a discussion going on in a thread here comparing AntiVir and McAfee Enterprise.

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=134718


Reading that thread got me thinking why do most people prefer McAfee Enterprise over the home version of McAfee. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the Control Center and ActiveX in the home version, but are there other reasons? Don't the Enterprise and home version use the same engine?

Is McAfee Enterprise a good choice for a home computer? Is it easy to configure? It's possible I can get my hands on copy of McAfee Enterprise, but I don't want to go through the trouble if it is a hassle to use.

 

Engine is exactly the same. But VSE 8.0i has no stupid control center and no usage of ActiveX components. Updater is also a lot more configurable.
There is also a IDS module which is not present in home version and also Buffer Overrun protection, again not available in home version.

 

I have not used the Home AV for many years now and so I cannot comment on its recent version(s). But some users, as you say, have complained about the Security Centre, the use of ActiveX and also resource usage.

In contrast, I have used the Enterprise edition now for nearly 2 years and it is a very light scanner on my laptop. It has a number of features not found in the Home version, such as buffer overflow protection, IDS and port blocking.

Detection rate is the same as the Home version.

Some relevant past posts are here , and here .

Overall, I would say it is a good choice for a Home computer; you can accept the default settings once installed.

BUT make sure you can receive the necessary patch updates.

 

also with enterprise, you can install antispyware enterprise module which enhances its spyware detection... its not available in home version...

 

Is the user notified of these patches, or do you have to check periodically for them?

That's a good thing to know.

 

In the home version of McAfee the antispyware is standard on. Also the Buffer Overrun protection and IDS will be available in version 10.5 of VSO.

 

At the present time, the updater within V.8.0i only updates the DATs and not the Patches or the engine upgrades.

Therefore, you need to check over on the McAfee forums to see whether any of these new downloads are available.

Then, officially, since you then need a Corporate grant number to download the upgrades, your University/Work place will deal with this for you. Unofficially, you will find them posted on the Net!

 

There are some differences between the Enterprise and Home editions, though not enough to cause any huge detection rate difference.

a)Enterprise Edition has faster updates than Home edition
b)Enterprise edition is more configurable while Home edition is designed for the set-and-forget user, and thus does not have flexible configuration options.
c)Enterprise edition with its AntiSpyware module seems *slightly* better in detection and removal than Home edition which also has AntiSpyware databases, but overall detection capability of both is the same.

As far as protection goes, you can choose any one. If you want 100% simplicity, go for Home edition. Or else, head for Enterprise.

 

Thanks for all the information guys. Sorry that I made you go through the trouble of answering my questions, but I think I will stay with what I'm using for now. After thinking about it, I don't think I would be as confortable with McAfee Enterprise as I am with my current AV right now.

 

unless things have changed mcafee 8.0i updated the definations and the engine when I used it. But not the patches

 

Correct, it does do the engine upgrades as well. I wish that it did do the patch levels too, but unfortunately it does not.

Speaking of VSE 8.0i, I have pretty much given up on waiting for the 5000 engine to be released. Everytime they post a release date, it gets pushed back a few months, then again a few months.

Now they are calling it the 5100 engine and release calls for July, but we'll see. Just like we've been waiting so long for Patch 12.

All in all, VSE is much better then the Home version.

Cheers,
Dave