Need an Antivirus for Windows Server '16 [Home-Lab]

[Slow Pri]

Hello.

I've been working on my home lab recently, and just installed Windows Server 2016 Datacenter on my main server. I'm currently running Windows Defender as that's what MS 'recommends'. I don't allow my server to have access to the internet via browsers. I have been unable to find any 'free' antivirus programs for Servers, many websites recommend this and that but never really a chart or a basis.

I am thinking that I shouldn't use an 'aftermarket' antivirus (AVG, BitDefender, or Avast) just because sometimes there definitions can cause issues as well as cause firewall issues.

Any feedback would be helpful & any suggestions would be as well.

 

[Ralston18]

Home lab.

You are just experimenting, testing, learning - correct?

Seems that you should be free (and feel free) to try any AV products you wish.

There is no single solution per se: all products have trade-offs and can cause issues. Comparing products can be very cumbersome because so much can be mixed and matched. And manufacturers tend to create their own language more for marketing reasons than technical.

Try any of the aftermarket products. Start with one. Install, see what happens, keep notes learn. Then try another product.

Quantify the results in a way that satisfies your requirement for charts and some basis for selection. One product may be more thorough but slow performance. Another product may be faster but causes some other conflict.

There will always be issues somewhere. Just be sure you are able to backup and restore your server if things really go bad.

After three or four AV software product tests you will likely have gained a great deal of insight into the subject and requirements.