Symantec to Improve Mac Antivirus Administration

By David Worthington, BetaNews

September 17, 2004, 4:01 PM

Symantec is focused on producing a Web-based console for version 9.0 of Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh, enabling central administration for licensed OS X clients.

The Symantec administration console for Mac provides IT administrators with the ability to manage critical administrative functions related to the distribution and maintenance of clients.

More specifically, the console automatically audits for machine name, location, software version installed and the status of virus definitions. IT administrators are also presented with a detailed listing of the most common viruses found on systems within the network as well as an advisory informing them of the 10 most prevalent viruses in the wild.

"Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh 9.0, with the administrative console, will be the ideal solution for organizations that have a heterogeneous PC and Macintosh environment," said Stephen Cullen, senior vice president, security products and solutions, Symantec.

"IT Administrators will be able to use the centralized administration functionality to update Macintosh clients with antivirus protection, confirming that their Mac's are protected and their network is secure," said Cullen.

The Symantec administrative console for Mac OS X is scheduled to be released in November 2004. Existing customers will receive information on how to request a CD.