London, UK, 24 July 2018: Avast (LSE: AVST), the global leader in cybersecurity products, today announced the latest updates to its Avast Business Managed Workplace solution that simplify patching and improve visibility of patch status and management. Managed service providers are now able to identify quickly when an individual device was last checked for new patch installations, establish a steady rhythm of update checks for all devices connected to the network, and filter out superseded patches to save time and reduce disruption to the customer. Avast Business also rolled out two new features for its Avast Business Antivirus Pro Plus product: Webcam Shield protects the user from prying eyes, and Advanced Firewall settings allow for more tailored endpoint protection.

Arne Uppheim, Director of Product Management for SMB Security at Avast Business, said, “A lack of technical resources at small businesses makes them extremely vulnerable to security threats. The time required to conduct a full IT health check and manage seemingly never-ending security patching cycles can be detrimental to productivity and profitability. In our own research, we found that only 45% of SMBs would be willing to conduct a full IT health check and, even then, only after an attack has happened.”

He added, “Additionally, nearly one-third (29%) of Windows PCs globally are still currently running with EternalBlue unpatched - the vulnerability that led to WannaCry last year. Many of the devices supported through our MSP environment are Windows-based so providing deeper support to enable painless patching was a clear priority for us with the latest release of Avast Business Managed Workplace.”

Avast Business Managed Workplace key new features include:

• Last Check for Updates: easily identifies when a patch managed device last checked for updates to install
• Patch Health Monitoring: enables MSPs to monitor when a patched device last checked for updates and alerts when it does not do so on schedule
• Patch Filtering: MSPs can now filter by pre-set approval groups to see which patches have been approved for installation and filter out patches that have been superseded
• Persistent Filtering: to help save time on patching, MSPs can now create default filters for the Patch Management Patch Report and Device Report pages
• Overall improved support for Windows 10: patch support and technical updates for Windows environments and Windows 10 in particular

Avast Business Antivirus Pro Plus new features:

• Webcam Shield: prevents applications and malware from accessing a PC's webcam without the users’ consent, so they always know who is watching
• Advanced Firewall settings: includes advanced application and packet rules for more robust endpoint protection