How to enable users to disable the Antivirus and Firewall components.

Situation

You need to allow endpoint computer users to temporarily disable the Antivirus or Firewall components in the Cloud version of Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition (SEP SBE).

Caution: Antivirus must be enabled to activate Antispyware, SONAR, and Download Intelligence. Firewall detects and blocks online threats and prevents attacks from existing threats if the computer was previously infected.

Solution

Enable users to disable the Antivirus and Firewall components

1. In the SEP SBE Management Console, navigate to Policies.
2. Open a custom Endpoint Protection policy, or create a new, editable policy.
3. Under Computer Protection, enable User can disable Antivirus.
4. Under Network Protection, enable User can disable Firewall.
5. Under Groups, check the appropriate group to assign the policy to that group.
6. Click Save & Apply.

Disable Antivirus and Firewall components in the client

After editing a policy as described earlier in this article, endpoint computer users have the option to disable the Antivirus and Firewall components within the SEP SBE client.

These components will be automatically enabled after the selected time period or after the computer is restarted, whichever comes first.

To disable Antivirus and Firewall in the client

1. In the SEP SBE client, in the right sidebar, expand either Disable Antivirus or Disable Firewall.
2. Choose a time period:
   • 15 minutes
   • 1 hour
   • 5 hours
   • Until system restart

Applies To

The ability to temporarily disable components only applies to desktop and laptop installations on the following operating systems:

• Windows XP SP3+ (32-bit editions)
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Windows 8
• Windows 10

Windows XP SP3+ 64-bit editions run the server version of the client and are unable to apply the options described in this article.

Server OS installations have the Firewall component disabled and will not block communications.