Virus Scanning Software and Vision

Product: The Agency Manager Vision Series - all versions

Applied Systems does not sell virus scanning software, but we recommend that agencies purchase virus software locally and regularly check their drives for viruses. Since there are many vendors that sell virus scanning software, not all software can be commented on, and none have been thoroughly tested. Some may have unpredictable results. 

Please keep in mind that it is the agency's responsibility to regularly update virus scanning software definition files and to take the necessary precautions to prevent a virus from infecting their system (such as scanning disks and CDs from unreliable sources before installing). Our guidelines for the use of virus scanning software with Vision vary from our guidelines for use with WinTAM. Here are our recommendations for usage in a Vision environment:

On the SQL/Vision Server

All servers should be scanned from a workstation. Applied Systems does not recommend having virus scanning software actively running on a SQL/Vision Server. This can unnecessarily use resources on the server which can then cause performance problems for Vision and the rest of your network. Also, as stated above, the unpredictability of loading such software on a server may cause unforeseen problems which can affect your entire network. 

On the Vision Workstations

There shouldn't be a problem having virus scanning software actively running on a Vision workstation. This statement does come with a few stipulations, however:

• When updating the Vision software on a station (or loading/updating any software for that matter), you MUST disable the virus scanning software. The Vision update has been known to fail when such software is actively running. This can cause a station to be down for some time.
• Virus scanning software may cause performance problems on some workstations and not on others. The only solution in these cases may be to disable the virus software.
• If you are contacting a support technician for assistance, you may be asked to disable the virus software in order to troubleshoot the problem (this goes for the server as well). 

Last Revised: October 12, 2007 10:32:47 AM

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