Avast Essential Business Security vs OPSI

Avast Essential Business Security is internet security for small businesses that helps protect devices and data from viruses, phishing and cyberattacks. It combines next-generation antivirus with AI-powered threat detection. File Shield, Mail Shield, Web Guard, Real Site, Behavior Shield and CyberCapture address threats from files, email, websites and emerging attacks. Real Site is designed to help prevent fake phishing pages and DNS hijacking. An endpoint firewall and Remote Access Shield help block unwanted connections, RDP exploits and brute-force attacks, with ransomware protection included. Avast Business Hub provides device health notifications, automated reports, device and policy management, network discovery, remote access and support tools. The product supports Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 or later and specified Windows Server versions. Personal VPN and Patch Management are unavailable for macOS. Avast positions it for businesses with 11–100 devices, including those without dedicated IT staff. The listed price is $31.37 /first yr.

OPSI is an open-source client management system for software distribution, operating-system installation, inventory, patch management, and configuration. It can deploy Windows updates, MSI packages, setup programs, and system packages without interactive installation steps. It also automates installations of Windows client and server systems and common Linux distributions, including unattended and image-based setups.

Regular inventory collects hardware and software details, including hardware information from devices without an operating system. Administration can be centralized across multiple sites, each with its own depot servers, configurations, and software packages. Directory integrations support Active Directory, Samba 4, and OpenLDAP; single sign-on extensions support Microsoft Entra ID and Keycloak through SAML 2.0. OPSI-WebGUI runs in a modern browser without client-side installation. Community is free with unlimited devices and one worker process. Basic is free for up to 30 devices and one setup per user. Professional costs €499 a year and requires a minimum purchase of 100 devices; Enterprise costs €899 a year with the same minimum. Enterprise Cloud costs €1,199 a year, starting at 100 devices.