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Covad Anti-Malware Service
Frequently Asked Questions
General questions
What is malware?
What is the Covad Desktop and Server Anti-Malware service?
Why should I buy McAfee Total Protection for Small Business instead of using the
consumer security software that is already on my systems?
Why should I buy from Covad instead of buying directly from McAfee?
Does the service require an Internet connection?
What types of systems are supported?
What is McAfee SecurityCenter?
Does the McAfee software automatically uninstall other anti-virus
products?
How often does the software check for virus and malware updates?
What types of updates are provided?
How does the automatic update work?
Support questions
What is my Grant number and how do I get it?
How do I access my covad.net email account to get my Grant number?
Who do I call if I need technical help?
How soon after ordering will I be able to use the anti-malware service?
How is anti-malware software installed and deployed?
What is malware?
Malware is malicious software designed to disrupt, harm, infiltrate, or damage computers,
servers, or networks. Malware includes a wide range of nasty programs including viruses, worms,
Trojans, phishing scams, and unauthorized spyware. Malware can enable identify theft, damage
computer files, bog down network performance, display annoying adware, and worse. Once you finally
realize you’ve been infected or compromised, your company loses valuable time and productivity
trying to locate and uninstall it and deal with the damage the malware has caused.
What is the Covad Desktop and Server Anti-Malware service?
Covad offers McAfee
Total Protection for Small Business to provide businesses with security protection against
all types of malware, such as viruses, unwanted spyware programs, and hacker attacks. McAfee
Total Protection for Small Business is a hosted service that manages your desktop and file
server security for you. McAfee’s Network Operations Center (NOC) is in constant contact with your
computers to manage virus updates, implement new product features, and help protect your systems
24x7x365. Through the online, web-based McAfee SecurityCenter, it’s easy to manage desktop security
policies, set up groups, and view reports on activity and detected threats anywhere you have an
Internet connection. For a closer look, view an online demo of how
McAfee Total Protection for Small
Business works.
Why should I buy McAfee Total Protection for Small Business instead of using the consumer
security software that is already on my systems?
There are several reasons why you should invest in business-quality security software for
your laptops and servers:
- New PCs are often sold with a limited-time version of anti-virus software that is free for the first 90 days or less, but which require you to purchase the product after that time.
- Most software from other vendors that comes pre-installed on PCs provides only anti-virus/anti-spyware protection. McAfee Total Protection for Small Business software provides more complete protection against hacker attacks, Web searching protection with SiteAdvisor, and includes personal firewall software.
- Most consumer versions of security software do not include support. You must pay a per-incident fee or a per-minute phone charge for support calls. Total Protection for Small Business includes 24x7x365 live support.
- Other consumer products don’t include a management portal to make it easy to administer and monitor all your systems. The SecurityCenter portal allows you to control and manage all desktop security from a single console and gives you an overall view of the security status of your PCs and reports on the types of malicious activity they have been protected from.
Why should I buy from Covad instead of buying directly from McAfee?
Purchasing from Covad means you have a single, experienced provider for both your high-speed
Internet access and your security service. With Covad, you get one bill and one point of contact
for support. Covad does not require a yearly contract or an upfront yearly fee for the anti-malware
service. We charge you monthly, allowing you to purchase only what you need and to change or update
your services as your company grows or adjusts.
Does the service require an Internet connection? Yes. The service is a Web-based application 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 always active, so that even when not all of your computers are connected to the Internet, its Rumor Technology enables one connected computer to distribute updates to all computers connected to the company’s network.
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What types of systems are supported?
The service is designed for Microsoft Windows operating systems running on a PC platform. It
installs and runs on Intel Pentium servers and client computers. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
SP2 or later is required to download and install the software, but you can use your default browser
to access SecurityCenter.
What is McAfee SecurityCenter?
SecurityCenter is the McAfee portal that provides a web-based central point for policy
configuration and reporting of threat activity. View an online demo of McAfee
SecurityCenter and see examples of
actual
sample
reports.
Does the McAfee software automatically uninstall other anti-virus products?
Yes, installing Covad anti-malware security software will automatically uninstall most virus
scanning products. For a smooth install, it is best to uninstall all current anti-virus,
anti-spyware, and firewall applications before you click the install URL in the welcome email.
Please visit the McAfee website and refer to the
Quick
Start Guide for details.
How often does the software check for virus and malware updates?
The installed agent constantly communicates with the McAfee NOC for regular and emergency
virus updates. The software automatically checks for updates five minutes after logon. If a machine
is left on, the agent will then check for an update at regular intervals. The administrator can
change this interval, based on what works for the business.
What types of updates are provided?
The following types of updates are provided:
- Daily virus definition updates (.DAT files), which contain signatures for existing and new viruses and spyware.
- Agent software updates to address a known issue or add a new scanning feature.
- Policy change updates that apply to a group of computers (for example, scheduling an on-demand scan).
The updates are invisible to the user and happen in the background—there are no annoying pop-ups asking you to update your systems.
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How does the automatic update work?
Throughout the day the agent software connects to the McAfee NOC through an Internet
connection, to check if a new update is available. The software also checks if any computer on your
company network already retrieved the new update, and if so, downloads the update from that
computer. This saves bandwidth by sharing updates on your local network.
At frequent intervals during the day, each computer uploads data to the NOC, where it is
available in Web-based reports from the SecurityCenter. Data includes update status, detection
history, individual computer usage and infection reports, and more. In the event of an outbreak,
McAfee releases an emergency outbreak DAT. Typically within an hour of the virus attack, the
Outbreak Response DAT is downloaded to all connected computers. It is specially encoded to inform
the first computer receiving it to share the update immediately with the rest of your computer
network.
What is my Grant number and how do I get it?
Your Grant number is similar to a software license number. It is required when you need
technical support to verify that you are a valid user with an active software license. You will
receive your Grant letter, containing your Grant number in an email sent directly to your covad.net
email address within five days of the completion of the installation of your Covad high-speed
Internet service. Be sure to watch your covad.net email for this important information and keep it
handy for when you need support.
How do I access my covad.net email account to get my Grant number?
Log in to
My Covad Account
and click on the
Web Mail link in the
Service Information section on your
Account Overview
page. Enter the username and password you created when you placed your order. When the Web
Mail interface is displayed, select the “View my inbox” option in Quick Links to access your email
messages. If you use another address for your standard email support, you may want to forward the
grant number email to that address so you can easily refer to it if you need to contact technical
support.
Who do I call if I need technical help?
Contact Covad Customer Care at 888-64-COVAD if you have questions or need technical support.
Be sure to have your technical support Grant number, which you received from McAfee via email.
How soon after ordering will I be able to use the anti-malware service?
You will receive installation instructions and the download URL in an email from
Covad as soon as the installation of your Covad high-speed Internet service is complete.
How is anti-malware software installed and deployed?
The confirmation email you receive from Covad contains the download URL. You should forward
this email to each user that is to be protected. When they click on the URL, they will be asked to
enter their email address, and the protection software will be installed automatically on their
computer within minutes. Note that the user must have administrator rights on their machine to
install the software. The Grant letter email you receive from McAfee may also contain download URL
information. Please ignore this information and use the download URL you receive from Covad.
Learn More
To learn more about Covad Desktop and Server Anti-Malware, powered by McAfee read the Covad Desktop and Server Anti-Malware Data Sheet (pdf)
