Implementing the migration plan

Having completed your planning and configuration, the next step is to implement your plan. The effort and energy put into the research and planning will now be rewarded as they will help to ensure a successful and simple deployment of AV Defender.

The implementation process that you follow will depend largely on the environment and situation into which you are deploying AV Defender. The following describes the different scenarios that you can deploy AV Defender, including elements of the process that are common to each situation.

The element of the migration process that is common to each of the scenarios described above is deploying the update server.

Deploying the Update Server

AV Defender downloads a significant amount of data over the Internet in the form of signature updates. To avoid bandwidth issues, it is strongly recommended that you install an update server on each discrete site where AV Defender will be deployed.

Requirements for configuring devices as Update Servers

  • Panda-based Endpoint Security can not be currently installed on the device.
  • The device must be one of the following device classes:
    • Server - Windows - with an N-able N-central Agent installed on the device.
    • Workstation - Windows - with both an N-able N-central Agent and an N-able N-central Probe installed on the device.
  • N-able N-central Agents and N-able N-central Probes must be of version 9.3.x or later.

The Competitor AV Cleanup feature cannot be used if the Security Manager software is installed or enabled after the device has been enabled as an update server.

Enable an update server

  1. Click Configuration > Security Manager > Update Servers.
  2. Select the check box next to the server (or servers) to which you want to connect for AV Defender updates.
  3. Click Enable.

Enable connections to an external update server

If you do not want to enable a local update server or if you have remote users, you can enable connections to an external Bitdefender update server.

  1. Click Configuration > Security Manager > Profiles.
  2. In the Name column, click the name of the Profile that you would like to edit.
  3. In the General Settings area, click Edit Settings beside the Settings module.
  4. Click Update.
  5. Select the Failover to External Update Server if Local Server is Not Accessible After property as 3. This is for the number of hours after AV Defender will attempt to obtain updates through an Internet connection.

    The maximum value for this property is 24 hours. This property means that if your signature is more than three hours old, AV Defender will connect to the Bitdefender update server on the Internet even if you have a local update server available.

  6. Click Save.

Deploying AV Defender on a computer without security software

This scenario concerns deploying AV Defender to computers that either do not have any antivirus protection or only have built-in Windows Defender protection. This is the simplest deployment scenario as you do not need to worry about the existing antivirus protection. There are two methods for deploying AV Defender in this scenario: either directly to devices or by using Rules.

Deploying to multiple devices or to an individual device

Installing AV Defender software on devices will require that they be re-started. Re-starting devices will follow any schedules or limitations configured in Scheduled Maintenance windows that are applied to the device.

  1. Click View > All Devices and select the Network Devices tab.
  2. Select the check box beside the name of the computers that you want to deploy AV Defender and click Edit.
  3. In the Security Manager area , click Install Security Manager.
    • If there is no update server configured, a warning dialog box appears recommending that you install at least one update server per customer before deploying AV Defender to your device. Select either Configure Update Server or Continue without update server as appropriate and click Save to continue.
    • If you selected Configure Update Server, you will need to complete the update server configuration process before installing AV Defender on devices. For more information, refer to Deploying the Update Server.
  4. Select Run Pre-Install Scan to perform a security scan of the device before installing AV Defender software.
  5. Type the Uninstall Password to provide security credentials required to remove any existing security software from the device.
  6. From the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile drop-down menu, select the Profile to be applied to the device.
  7. Under Start Installation, select either Immediately or During Maintenance Window depending on which is appropriate.
  8. From the Competitor AV Cleanup drop-down menu, select No Removal.
  9. During initial deployment, it is strongly recommended that you do not select Enable Debug Logging.
  10. Click OK.

    You can click Save to apply the settings and remain on the current screen.

Allow fifteen minutes for the device modifications to take effect. Installation of AV Defender can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes on a server operating under normal conditions.

Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.

Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.

Repeat this process until all deployment issues are resolved.

Deploying through Rules

This procedure can only be performed at the Service Organization level or Customer level.

  1. Click Configuration > Monitoring > Rules.
  2. In the Name column, click a rule.
  3. Click the Network Device Configuration Options tab.
  4. In the Security Manager area, from the Action drop-down menu, click Install Security Manager.
  5. Select Run Pre-Install Scan to perform a security scan of the device before installing AV Defender software.
  6. Type the Uninstall Password to provide security credentials required to remove any existing security software from the device.
  7. From the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile drop-down menu, select the Profile to be applied to the device.
  8. Under Start Installation, select either Immediately or During Maintenance Window depending on which is appropriate.
  9. From the Competitor AV Cleanup drop-down menu, select No Removal.
  10. During initial deployment, it is strongly recommended that you do not select Enable Debug Logging.
  11. Click Save.

Allow fifteen minutes for the device modifications to take effect. Installation of AV Defender can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes on a server operating under normal conditions.

Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.

Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.

Repeat this process until all deployment issues are resolved.

Deploying AV Defender on a computer without Non-integrated AV Defender software

This is among the easiest deployment scenarios depending on the version of the non-integrated AV Defender solution that you have installed. The integrated version of AV Defender was introduced with N-able N-central 9.3 is based on the newest generation of the Bitdefender SDK. As a result, it will only work with non-integrated AV Defender 5.1 or later.

Before deployment, you must first determine the versions of non-integrated AV Defender that are installed on the target devices.

  • If AV Defender 4.0 or earlier is installed, deployment of the new integrated version of AV Defender will seamlessly uninstall the existing software before installing the new software.
  • If AV Defender 5.1 or later is installed, deployment of the new integrated version of AV Defender will simply assume control of the existing software and distribute the appropriate N-able N-central AV Defender Profile.

Deploying to multiple devices to an individual device

Installing AV Defender software on devices will require that they be re-started. Re-starting devices will follow any schedules or limitations configured in Scheduled Maintenance windows that are applied to the device.

  1. Determine the versions of non-integrated AV Defender that are installed on the target devices.
  2. Review the current security policies in the Bitdefender Cloud console and duplicate these settings in the N-able N-central AV Defender Profile that you want to apply to the target devices.
  3. Review your module installation status in the Bitdefender Cloud console and copy these settings to the N-able N-central AV Defender Profile. This will avoid unnecessary re-starting of the devices for installing or removing modules.
  4. In N-able N-central navigation pane, click All Devices and select the Network Devices tab.
  5. Select the check box beside the name of the computer (or computers) to which you want to deploy AV Defender based on your deployment plan and click Edit.
  6. In the Security Manager, click Install Security Manager.
    • If there is no update server configured, a warning dialog box will be displayed recommending that you install at least one update server per customer before deploying AV Defender to your device. Select either Configure Update Server or Continue without update server as appropriate and click Save to continue.
    • If you selected Configure Update Server, you will need to complete the update server configuration process before installing AV Defender on devices. For more information, refer to Deploying the Update Server.
  7. Click the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile check box and select the Profile to be applied to the device from the drop-down menu.
  8. Click theStart Installation check box and select the appropriate timing.
  9. Click the Competitor AV Cleanup check box and click No Removal from the drop-down list box.
  10. When setting up single devices, it is strongly recommended that you do not select Enable Debug Logging.
  11. Click Save.
  12. Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.
  13. Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.

Deploying through Rules

This procedure can only be performed at the Service Organization level or Customer level.

  1. Click Monitoring > Rules.
  2. In the Name column of the Rules screen, click a Rule.
  3. Click the Network Device Configuration Options tab.
  4. In the Security Manager area, click the Action drop-down menu, select Install Security Manager.
  5. In the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile drop-down menu, select the Profile to be applied to the device.
  6. For Start Installation, select the appropriate timing.
  7. Click Save.

Allow 30 minutes for the device modifications to take effect. Installation of AV Defender can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes on a server operating under normal conditions.

Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.

Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.

Deploying AV Defender with Panda-based Endpoint Security

N-able N-central can automatically remove the Panda-based Endpoint Security solution using SDK API calls and reviews the file system and Windows registry for any remnants of Panda software and remove them prior to deploying AV Defender.

It is strongly recommended that AV Defender be deployed during a configured Maintenance Window to avoid unnecessarily adding time to the duration of the deployment.

Due to the removal of Panda-based security software and the aggressive cleaning that this involves, deploying AV Defender in this scenario may require between two to three re-starts to complete.

Deploying to multiple devices to an individual device

Installing AV Defender software on devices will require that they be re-started. Re-starting devices will follow any schedules or limitations configured in Scheduled Maintenance windows that are applied to the device.

  1. Click Views > All Devices and select the Network Devices tab.
  2. Select the check box beside the name of the computer (or computers) to which you want to deploy AV Defender based on your deployment plan.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. In the Security Manager area, click Install Security Manager.
    • If there is no update server configured, a warning dialog box will be displayed recommending that you install at least one update server per customer before deploying AV Defender to your device. Select either Configure Update Server or Continue without update server as appropriate and click Save to continue.
    • If you selected Configure Update Server, you will need to complete the update server configuration process before installing AV Defender on devices. For more information, refer to Deploying the Update Server.
  5. Select Run Pre-Install Scan to perform a security scan of the device before installing AV Defender software.
  6. Type the Uninstall Password to provide security credentials required to remove any existing security software from the device.
  7. From the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile drop-down menu, select the Profile to be applied to the device.
  8. For Start Installation, select the appropriate timing.
  9. From the Competitor AV Cleanup drop-down menu, select Standard Removal and Registry/File Cleanup.
  10. When setting up single devices, it is strongly recommended that you do not select Enable Debug Logging.
  11. Click Save.

Allow 30 minutes for the device modifications to take effect. Installation of AV Defender can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes on a server operating under normal conditions.

Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.

Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.

Deploying through Rules

This procedure can only be performed at the Service Organization level or Customer level.

  1. Click Configuration > Monitoring > Rules.
  2. In the Name column of the Rules screen, click the Rule and click the Network Device Configuration Options tab.
  3. In the Security Manager area, select Install Security Manager.
  4. Select Run Pre-Install Scan to perform a security scan of the device before installing AV Defender software.
  5. Type the Uninstall Password to provide security credentials required to remove any existing security software from the device.
  6. From the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile drop-down menu, select the Profile to be applied to the device.
  7. For Start Installation, select the appropriate timing.
  8. From the Competitor AV Cleanup drop-down menu, select Standard Removal and Registry/File Cleanup.
  9. During individual device setup, it is strongly recommended that you do not select Enable Debug Logging.
  10. Click Save.

Allow 30 minutes for the device modifications to take effect. Installation of AV Defender can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes on a server operating under normal conditions.

Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.

Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.

Deploying AV Defender on a computer with another AV solution

This scenario will be the most complex as it involves the removal of another antivirus solution.

Deploying to multiple devices or an individual device

Installing AV Defender software on devices will require that they be re-started. Re-starting devices will follow any schedules or limitations configured in Scheduled Maintenance windows that are applied to the device.

  1. Before you begin, determine the exact name and version of the currently-deployed antivirus/anti-malware solution.
  2. See AV Defender software uninstall limitations to verify that the installed software can be automatically removed by AV Defender.
    • If the software can be automatically removed by AV Defender, skip to step 5.
    • If the software can not be automatically removed by AV Defender, perform a search in the N-able Resource Center Community forum and in the N-able N-central Script/Software Repository for a removal script. You can also search the vendor's website for a valid removal routine. Run the removal routine for the security software using Automation Manager or a Scripting Task.
  3. Once you have verified that the security software has correctly been removed, proceed to step 5.
  4. Confirm that there is no server element to the security software that is still installed. Server elements may sometimes re-install the security software after it has been removed.
  5. In N-able N-central, click Views > All Devices and select the Network Devices tab.
  6. Select the check box beside the name of the computer (or computers) to which you want to deploy AV Defender based on your deployment plan.
  7. Click Edit.
  8. In the Security Manager area, click Install Security Manager.
    • If there is no update server configured, a warning dialog box will be displayed recommending that you install at least one update server per customer before deploying AV Defender to your device. Select either Configure Update Server or Continue without update server as appropriate and click Save to continue.
    • If you selected Configure Update Server, you will need to complete the update server configuration process before installing AV Defender on devices. For more information, refer to Deploying the Update Server.
  9. Select Run Pre-Install Scan to perform a security scan of the device before installing AV Defender software.
  10. Type the Uninstall Password to provide security credentials required to remove any existing security software from the device.
  11. From the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile drop-down menu, select the Profile to be applied to the device.
  12. For Start Installation, select the appropriate timing.
  13. From the Competitor AV Cleanup drop-down menu, select Standard Removal and Registry/File Cleanup.
  14. During initial deployment, it is strongly recommended that you do not select Enable Debug Logging.
  15. Click Save.

Allow 30 minutes for the device modifications to take effect. Installation of AV Defender can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes on a server operating under normal conditions.

Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.

Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.

Deploying through Rules

This procedure can only be performed at the Service Organization level or Customer level.

  1. Before you begin, determine the exact name and version of the currently-deployed antivirus/anti-malware solution.
  2. See AV Defender software uninstall limitations to verify that the installed software can be automatically removed by AV Defender.
    • If the software can be automatically removed by AV Defender, skip to step 5.
    • If the software can not be automatically removed by AV Defender, perform a search in the N-able Resource Center Community forum and in the N-able N-central Script/Software Repository for a removal script. You can also search the vendor's website for a valid removal routine. Run the removal routine for the security software using Automation Manager or a Scripting Task.
  3. Once you have verified that the security software has correctly been removed, proceed to step 5.
  4. Confirm that there is no server element to the security software that is still installed. Server elements may sometimes re-install the security software after it has been removed.
  5. In N-able N-central, click Configuration > Monitoring > Rules.
  6. In the Name column of the Rules screen, click a Rule.
  7. Click the Network Device Configuration Options tab.
  8. In the Action drop-down menu, select Install Security Manager.
  9. Select Run Pre-Install Scan to perform a security scan of the device before installing AV Defender software.
  10. Type the Uninstall Password to provide security credentials required to remove any existing security software from the device.
  11. From the Select AV Defender Configuration Profile drop-down menu, select the Profile to be applied to the device.
  12. For Start Installation, select the appropriate timing.
  13. From the Competitor AV Cleanup drop-down menu, select Standard Removal.
  14. During initial deployment, it is strongly recommended that you do not select Enable Debug Logging.
  15. Click Save.

Allow 30 minutes for the device modifications to take effect. Installation of AV Defender can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes on a server operating under normal conditions.

Audit the target devices by running an AV Defender Status report or by checking the Properties tab of each device individually.

Troubleshoot any AV Defender installations that have not been completed.