AVG Technologies
Encyclopedia
AVG Technologies is a privately held
Czech
company formed in 1991 by Jan Gritzbach and Tomas Hofer, with corporate offices in Europe
and the United States
. The company specializes in computer security software
.
On April 19, 2006, Grisoft acquired the German company ewido Networks
, an anti-spyware software manufacturer, and incorporated ewido's features into new versions of AVG software.
On November 6, 2006, Microsoft
announced that AVG Security products would be available directly from the Windows Security Center in Windows Vista. Since June 7, 2006, the AVG software has also been used as an optional component of GFI MailSecurity, produced by GFI Software
.
On December 5, 2007, Grisoft announced the acquisition of Exploit Prevention Labs, developer of the LinkScanner safe surfing technology.
In February 2008, Grisoft was officially renamed AVG Technologies. This change was made to increase the effectiveness of their marketing activities.
In January 2009, AVG announced their plans to acquire Sana Security are finalized. Plans to integrate Sana's technologies in their free consumer product, AVG Anti-Virus, are still under consideration, according to JR Smith, AVG's chief executive. Sana Security's developed technologies are currently licensed to Symantec.
On October 5, 2009, TA Associates
announced that they bought a minority stake in AVG Technologies for more than $200 million.
On June 9, 2010, AVG announced the acquisition of North Carolina-based Walling Data, a North America security software distribution that has distributed AVG offerings across the United States since 2001
On November 10, 2010, AVG announced the acquisition of Tel Aviv
-based DroidSecurity, a company that specializes int the field of mobile security solutions, for Android devices. Upon completion of the acquisition DroidSecurity will become a wholly owned subsidiary of AVG and DroidSecurity CEO and co-founder, Eran Pfeffer, will become the general manager of AVG’s Mobile Solutions Team.
In December of 2010, AVG released a mandatory-install update to the 2011 version of its antivirus software which caused thousands of 64 bit Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers to become completely inoperable. AVG has since released a fix which attempts to repair computers bricked after installing the update. Affected users can watch the following video on AVG's Official YouTube page to resolve the issue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fam3-KSfA3A
to provide malware security in their web browser Opera
, the protection was added to the existing Fraud Protection technology (Netcraft
and PhishTank
from Haute Secure
).
On August 20, 2010 AVG entered into partnership with MokaFive
to secure desktop virtualisation solutions. The partnership adds a critical security layer to the virtual desktop marketplace, as more enterprise companies are turning to desktop virtualization as a secure solution for bringing your own computer (BYOC) and work from home initiatives for employees.
Privately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
company formed in 1991 by Jan Gritzbach and Tomas Hofer, with corporate offices in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company specializes in computer security software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
.
Home security
- AVG Anti-Virus – Antivirus programAntivirus softwareAntivirus or anti-virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including but not limited to computer viruses, computer worm, trojan horses, spyware and adware...
- AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
- AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition for Linux
- AVG Internet Security – Antivirus and personal firewallPersonal firewallA personal firewall is an application which controls network traffic to and from a computer, permitting or denying communications based on a security policy. Typically it works as an application layer firewall....
- AVG LinkScanner Free Edition – for PC (An online safety tool)
- AVG LinkScanner Free Edition - for Apple Mac
- AVG PC Tuneup 2011
- AVG Premium Security
Business security
- AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition – An antivirus program with central administration capabilities
- AVG Internet Security Business Edition – A business security suite with central administration capabilities
- AVG File Server Edition
- AVG E-mail Server Edition
- AVG Linux Server Edition
Mobile security
- DroidSecurity Antivirus Free for Android Devices
- DroidSecurity Antivirus Pro for Android Devices
History
In 2001, Jan Gritzbach decided to sell Grisoft to Benson Oak Capital Acquisitions. Four years later, Benson Oak sold a 65% share in the company to Intel Capital and Enterprise Investors for $52 million.On April 19, 2006, Grisoft acquired the German company ewido Networks
Ewido Networks
Ewido Networks was a software company based in Germany known for creating Ewido Anti-Spyware. Ewido Anti-Spyware is a software used to remove malware, like spyware, trojan horses, adware, dialers, and worms. It also features real-time protection, automatic updates, and other privacy features...
, an anti-spyware software manufacturer, and incorporated ewido's features into new versions of AVG software.
On November 6, 2006, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
announced that AVG Security products would be available directly from the Windows Security Center in Windows Vista. Since June 7, 2006, the AVG software has also been used as an optional component of GFI MailSecurity, produced by GFI Software
GFI Software
GFI Software is a developer of Web & Mail security, Networking & Security and Archiving & Fax computer software founded in 1992. Its products include software for filtering spam and viruses from e-mail as well as for monitoring and scanning networks for security purposes.- Products :GFI Software...
.
On December 5, 2007, Grisoft announced the acquisition of Exploit Prevention Labs, developer of the LinkScanner safe surfing technology.
In February 2008, Grisoft was officially renamed AVG Technologies. This change was made to increase the effectiveness of their marketing activities.
In January 2009, AVG announced their plans to acquire Sana Security are finalized. Plans to integrate Sana's technologies in their free consumer product, AVG Anti-Virus, are still under consideration, according to JR Smith, AVG's chief executive. Sana Security's developed technologies are currently licensed to Symantec.
On October 5, 2009, TA Associates
TA Associates
TA Associates, founded in 1968, is one of the oldest private equity firms in the United States. The firm employs a hybrid strategy making growth capital investments in developing companies and acquiring mature companies through leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions...
announced that they bought a minority stake in AVG Technologies for more than $200 million.
On June 9, 2010, AVG announced the acquisition of North Carolina-based Walling Data, a North America security software distribution that has distributed AVG offerings across the United States since 2001
On November 10, 2010, AVG announced the acquisition of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
-based DroidSecurity, a company that specializes int the field of mobile security solutions, for Android devices. Upon completion of the acquisition DroidSecurity will become a wholly owned subsidiary of AVG and DroidSecurity CEO and co-founder, Eran Pfeffer, will become the general manager of AVG’s Mobile Solutions Team.
In December of 2010, AVG released a mandatory-install update to the 2011 version of its antivirus software which caused thousands of 64 bit Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers to become completely inoperable. AVG has since released a fix which attempts to repair computers bricked after installing the update. Affected users can watch the following video on AVG's Official YouTube page to resolve the issue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fam3-KSfA3A
Partnerships
On July 1, 2010 AVG partnered with Opera SoftwareOpera Software
Opera Software ASA is a Norwegian software company, primarily known for its Opera family of web browsers with over 220 million users worldwide. Opera Software is also involved in promoting Web standards through participation in the W3C. The company has its headquarters in Oslo, Norway and is...
to provide malware security in their web browser Opera
Opera (web browser)
Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
, the protection was added to the existing Fraud Protection technology (Netcraft
Netcraft
Netcraft is an Internet services company based in Bath, England.Netcraft provides web server and web hosting market-share analysis, including web server and operating system detection...
and PhishTank
PhishTank
PhishTank is an anti-phishing site.PhishTank was launched in October 2006 by entrepreneur David Ulevitch as an offshoot of OpenDNS. The company offers a community-based phish verification system where users submit suspected phishes and other users "vote" if it is a phish or not.PhishTank is used...
from Haute Secure
Haute Secure
Haute Secure is a computer security vendor of website reputation ratings, malware protection, content scanning, and site monitoring. The company announced that the Opera version 9.5 blocks sites reported by a community of users using Haute Secure. Partners providing "protection lists" include...
).
On August 20, 2010 AVG entered into partnership with MokaFive
MokaFive
MokaFive, headquartered in Redwood City, California, provides a desktop-as-a-service platform for managing desktop computers. MokaFive was founded in July 2005 as a spinoff of the Collective Project in Stanford University's Computer Science Department...
to secure desktop virtualisation solutions. The partnership adds a critical security layer to the virtual desktop marketplace, as more enterprise companies are turning to desktop virtualization as a secure solution for bringing your own computer (BYOC) and work from home initiatives for employees.