SUPERAntiSpyware for Business: A Lightweight, Scalable Software Solution for Central Management of Security Threats

TL; DR: Customers place their faith in businesses every time they hand over credit cards or other personally identifiable information during transactions. But if customer confidence becomes broken at any point, it can have a devastating impact on a business’ bottom line. Downloaded more than 55 million times since its initial release in 2006, SUPERAntiSpyware specializes in protecting computers from malware and other threats, keeping data out of the hands of cyber criminals. Its business platform gives IT departments a central management console they can use to scan and monitor every endpoint within a company’s infrastructure. SUPERAntiSpyware for Business is an affordable and lightweight security solution, giving businesses peace of mind that their customer data is safe.

Businesses face an endless barrage of malware as cyber criminals seek out vulnerabilities in systems to launch ransomware attacks that threaten brand reputations. Customers trust companies to keep their data out of the hands of those trying to steal their personal information, and one negative headline can cause irreparable damage.

The SUPERAntiSpyware team has spent more than 10 years improving the scanning engine it uses in the free, pro, and business editions of its security platform. The software product has been downloaded more than 55 million times and was purchased by Support.com in 2011, which is fitting because the team has benefited from the backing it receives from its parent company’s investment in the platform.

“We’ve been working on the technology for more than 10 years, and we’ve continued within Support.com to do the same thing that we’ve always done, which is launching an active response to emerging malware,” said Geoff Bullard, Senior Software Engineer II at Support.com.

SUPERAntiSpyware for Business is a lightweight, scalable, and affordable solution a company’s IT department can operate via a central management console, employing it as a first or second line of defense. John Jost, Senior Sales and Marketing Manager for SUPERAntiSpyware (SAS), told us customers appreciate how well the platform works alongside other essential enterprise software.

“You can use (SAS) for Business as a primary or a secondary solution,” John said. “That’s usually what businesses are doing — running multiple applications to keep their systems clean.”

Its team of engineers enjoy the daily challenge of detecting and removing harmful files from customer computers. SAS delivers the most relevant protection possible based on the types of attacks customers are seeing.

“We look at our actual consumer clients, and we ask, ‘What threats do you have on your computers?’ Then, we tailor our response to match our customers,” Geoff said. “You can do a lot of malware research and release a lot of definitions, but you may never see those threats on an actual system. We ensure that what we’re detecting is on our customers’ machines.”

Members of the SAS team are on the front lines daily finding the latest malware threats and preventing them from damaging their clients’ reputations.

“We release new technology to remove threats a couple of times a day,” said Don Fowler, Product Development Manager for Support.com. “We manage a stream of 80,000 malware samples every day, so we’re getting a steady stream of current threats to block.”

By identifying the threats impacting customers, the team tries to adapt and focus its energy on where it’s needed most.

“Working in a small environment here at SAS, we’re able to adapt to the changes that the customers demand,” John said. “We’re able to make changes for the business or professional solutions fairly quickly, and that’s pretty cool when we can respond to customers’ needs.”

The team detects millions of items every day across SAS’s various editions, and many of these items pose serious threats to computer systems.

“A lot of these are actually heavy-duty threats, like Trojan horses and worms,” Geoff said. “Ransomware is a huge one.”

Geoff told us potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) have also been prevalent as some software companies will bundle additional applications into downloads. PUPs are often used to track web usage to sell information to advertisers.

“What’s been driving that this whole time is revenue,” Geoff said. “The people who create this malware are ultimately looking to make money in some way.”

Some security software that protects enterprises can be intimidating to users. But SAS was created by developers with IT backgrounds and a focus on keeping it user-friendly, lightweight, and inexpensive.

“One of the things that’s appealing about our business solution is it’s approachable compared to other types of more intimidating enterprise-level software,” Geoff said. “That’s why people come to us.”

SAS for Business employs the same scanning engine found in the free and pro editions, but it gives IT departments a centralized solution to manage scan settings and notifications for multiple users.

“The deployment process is very easy to get the software out to the individual clients, and it’s scalable,” Geoff said. “So you can support five workstations or 500.”

Portage Community Bank of Ravenna, Ohio, is a SAS customer, and its IT department has seen firsthand how agile and effective the business software can be in keeping every endpoint secure. After all, only one employee computer needs to be compromised to cause serious damage.

“SAS for Business has made it possible for (us) to take full advantage of the outstanding spyware and malware protection provided by SUPERAntiSpyware,” said Charles Bevan, an IT Specialist at the bank. “With the central management console, we’re able to quickly deploy SAS to our employee desktops and provide our IT staff with the tools they need to manage our desktops efficiently.”

The business platform operates on the same scanning engine as the other SAS platforms, so anything that’s detected out of the millions of files they see daily is removed as a threat.

“We leverage the same technology we use in the consumer version of (SAS) to keep everything working the same and to keep all the threats updated on both of those,” Don said. “When a client runs a scan, it reports back to the server if it finds anything, and it can either be removed automatically or manually by the administrator.”

Malware and antivirus protection are essential to business operations. When customers make purchases with companies, they’re placing their trust in that business to keep their information out of the hands of criminals. If that trust is betrayed or even questioned, consumers will turn to other businesses where their confidence remains intact.

The SUPERAntiSpyware team has been developing and refining its products for more than 10 years, ensuring its users’ computers remain clean. The platform’s centrally managed business solution ensures consumer confidence and builds on that relationship to help its business customers prosper and grow.

While the SAS team derives its job satisfaction from the daily monitoring and removal of emerging malware threats, hearing from customers also goes a long way.

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from customers,” John said. “They like how it works. It’s easy to install, and it does what it says it’s going to do.”