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McAfee Total Protection Service

The always-on, always up-to-date, single solution for protecting your business

Frequently Asked Questions

What is McAfee's Total Protection Service?

McAfeeTotal Protection Service offers a comprehensive and proven set of security capabilities, all-in-one integrated solution that includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, firewall, browser protection and centralized policy management via the McAfee SecurityCenter.

What is the McAfee SecurityCenter within the Total Protection Service solutions?

The McAfee SecurityCenter serves as your central point where policy configuration and reporting of anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, browser protection and email security are integrated into an easy to use, web-based management console.

McAfee offers two solutions of Total Protection Service - which is the right one for me?

Total Protection Service is ideal for companies (5-100 systems) looking for basic desktop and file server security with automated virus, spyware, firewall and browser protection.

For companies with their own mail domain, McAfee Total Protection Service - Advanced provides additional email protection integrated along with the desktop and file server anti-virus, anti-spyware desktop firewall, and browser protection.

Both Total Protection Service solutions provide access to the McAfee SecurityCenter for centralized management and reports

What are the pricing and subscription periods for the two solutions of Total Protection Service?

The Total Protection Service solutions are available in an annual license, available in one and two year subscriptions, that is priced competitively as a McAfee-hosted service compared to traditional security software. You can protect your desktops and servers with automatic virus, spyware, firewall and browser protection with centralized management and reporting for about $3/person/month. That's five products for the price of one! Should you have additional email needs, for a few dollars more a month per mailbox, you can receive our premium anti-spam and anti-phishing solution - integrated along our anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall security and browser protection. As a small business solution, we have a minimum order requirement of 2 licenses; however, all subscriptions come with our Gold Support for 24x7 technical assistance. Please contact your local McAfee reseller, or buy now via McAfee's online store.

How do I add on more nodes to my existing account of the Total Protection Service solutions?

McAfee makes it easy to extend your security with Total Protection Service. Simply contact your local partner to add more licenses onto your existing subscription. Alternatively, you can log into the McAfee SecurityCenter from http://www.mcafeeasap.com and click on the "My Account" menu to buy more protection. Remember to purchase additional nodes with your existing email address used in the original purchase.

What is the availability of McAfee Managed VirusScan plus AntiSpyware - can I buy it as a separate product?

McAfee Managed VirusScan plus AntiSpyware has been enhanced with desktop firewall functionalities and being sold as Total Protection Service. McAfee Managed VirusScan plus AntiSpyware is not available for purchase as a separate stand alone product, unless purchased through certain specialty partners.

What is the availability of McAfee Managed Desktop Firewall - can I buy it as a separate product?

McAfee Managed Desktop Firewall has been integrated into the Total Protection Service. McAfee Managed Desktop Firewall is not available for purchase as a separate stand alone product, unless purchased through certain specialty partners.

What is the availability of McAfee SiteAdvisor for small businesses - can I buy it as a separate product?

McAfee SiteAdvisor has been integrated into the McAfee Total Protection Service. McAfee SiteAdvisor is not available for purchase as a separate stand alone product for corporations.

What is the availability of McAfee McAfee Secure Messaging Service for Small Business - can I buy it that as a point product?

McAfee  Secure Messaging Service has become an integrated product into the McAfee Total Protection Service - Advanced solution. However, McAfee Secure Messaging Service for Small Business is still available to be purchased as a separate solution. Please contact your local certified McAfee reseller for more information.

Does McAfee Total Protection Service require an Internet connection?

The McAfee Total Protection Service solutions are Web-based applications 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 continuous active even when not connected to the Internet, but an Internet connection is required for updates.

What are the system requirements for McAfee Total Protection Service?

Please review the System Requirements.

How is McAfee Total Protection Service installed and deployed?

The McAfee Total Protection Service solutions can be installed on multiple workstations by an administrator or on a single workstation by an individual user. As the administrator, the standard installation method or advanced installation features can be used. Depending on your needs, an administrator can: Forward the installation URL, received via e-mail, to end-users with these simple instructions:

  • Click this URL to install the service.
  • Enter your e-mail address when prompted.
With a click of a button, McAfee Total Protection Service is installed on the computer automatically and within minutes - no more CDs to install, no more manuals to read.

For more information on the installation of the McAfee Total Protection Service solutions. Please review the "How it Works" section.

Upon installation, why does the McAfee Total Protection Service prompt asks for an email address per user?

The e-mail address is used to identify workstations on your online management reports. Using an e-mail provides a hotlink to the principle user. However, any description may be entered in the field or left blank.

Does McAfee Total Protection Service automatically uninstall other anti-virus products?

Yes, installing McAfee Managed VirusScan plus AntiSpyware will automatically uninstall the virus scanning products listed below.Please review the Product Guide for in-depth information.

Corporate Anti-Spyware Enterprise (all editions)
ePO agent
Managed VirusScan and Managed Desktop Firewall (previous editions)
Total Protection Enterprise
VirusScan Enterprise 7.0 / 7.1 / 8.0i / 8.5i
VirusScan 4.5.1 for 9x
VirusScan 4.5.1 for NT, 2K, XP
VirusScan 4.5.1 SP1 for 9x
McAfee Retail Internet Security Suite
McAfee SecurityCenter
Total Protection for Home Users
VirusScan Retail 8.0
VirusScan Professional Edition 7.0
VirusScan Home Edition 7.0
VirusScan Professional Edition 6.0
VirusScan Home Edition 6.0
VirusScan Retail 5.1.X
VirusScan Retail 5.0 for 9x
VirusScan Retail-OEM 4.0.3 for 9x
Computer Associates eTrust AntiVirus 7.1
eTrust AntiVirus 7.0
Inoculate IT 3.5.1
Inoculate IT 4.5.3
Pest Patrol for spyware
Finjan SurfinShield Corporate
F-Secure AntiVirus 5.52 Antivirus 2004 (home)
Antivirus Client Security (uinstall AV only)
F-Secure Internet Security 2006
Kaspersky AntiVirus Personal
AntiVirus Personal Pro
Antivirus Business Optimal
Norton / Symantec Norton Internet Security 2004 ('home' & 'small office' editions) - uninstall AV
  NAV 2006 Internet Security Edition (uninstalls AV only)
NAV 2006 ('home' & 'small office' editions)
NAV 2006 Professional
NAV 7.6 for Windows for 9x
NAV 7.6 for Windows for NT
NAV 7.5.1
Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional ('home' & 'small office' editions) - uninstall AV
NAV 2004 ('home' & 'small office' editions)
Symantec Antivirus 9.0 (small business)
Norton Systemworks 2002 (uninstall AV only)
Symantec Systemworks 2004 (uninstall AV only)
Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 8.1
NAV 2004 Internet Security Edition (uninstall AV only)
NAV 2004 Professional
NAV 2000
NAV Anti-Virus Retail 2000
NAV 2001
NAV 2002
NAV 8.0
NAV 7.6 for Windows for 9X, NT
NAV 7.5.1
NAV 7.5
NAV 7.0 Corporate Edition
NAV 5.0 for Windows for 9X, NT
NAV Central Quarantine
NAV Quarantine Console Snap-in
Norton Mobile Update Agent
Norton Mobile Update Distribution Console
Norton Rescue Disk
Panda AntiVirus 2.0
Platinum Internet Security
Antivirus Platinum 7.0
Titanium Antivirus 2004, 2003, 2002
BusinessSecure AntiVirus (ClientShield is the antivirus portion)
WebAdmin Antivirus
Sophos Sophos Antivirus
Trend PC-Cillin Internet Security
PC-Cillin 2004
OfficeScan Corporate Edition
Pc-Cillin 2002
OfficeScan
Virusbuster 2001 for 9x and NT
Virusbuster 2000 for 9x and NT
Virusbuster Corporate HTTP Client NT & 2000
Virusbuster Corporate HTTP Client 9x
Virusbuster Corporate FILEbase Client NT & 2000
Virusbuster Corporate FILEbase Client 9x
Trend Micro HouseCall (On-Line)

What are the available languages for the Total Protection Service solutions?

No matter the original language selection, the Total Protection Service solutions can be configured anytime to have the scanning client as well as the SecurityCenter in the following languages: Chinese (Simplified or Traditional), Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian or Iberian) or Spanish.

Why would I need to access the McAfee SecurityCenter?

And what is policy configuration - does my business need it?

The Total Protection Service solutions are preconfigured to install with immediate protection against viruses, unwanted spyware programs and hacker attacks. This is a perfect solution for companies that lack the security knowledge to implement and manage a trusted security product. With the on-access scanning, McAfee immediate scans and blocks security threats for all your systems. However, should your system administrators want to customize specific security policies within your business, McAfee provides policy configuration from our SecurityCenter's centralized management console. McAfee makes it easy to schedule on-demand virus scans, set folder scan exclusions, create and manage groups of user - all simply from our 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 SecurityCenter, you can force a computer to scan all its files and folders (except any excluded items).

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 secured, McAfee SecurityCenter, the update interval time can also be set 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:

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 Service 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. Viruses that write to disk will be detected by the On-Access scanner. For additional email protection, Total Protection Service - Advances provides additional email security with your mail simply being routed to McAfee first for scanning and quarantining.

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.