Best Antivirus

I like ESET Nod32. Light resources, great central admin console. The console comes free if you buy business licenses.

HTH,
Dan

The answers you are going to receive will be largely biased based on personal opinion.  I would highly suggest doing your own research prior to making any purchase to ensure it meets your specific needs.

Here is a recent AV review covering several AV options and it is geared specifically for small businesses.

http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/small-business-antivirus/

On that review you can even view the results by resource usage if that is your main concern aside from protection.

I think the link posted by Justin F is bias. Or at a minimum woefully inaccurate.  I have one client with 50 PCs that I don't have a say in what app they use (they use Symantec) and they get infected WAY too often - but if you believe the link above, they're one of the most effective products.  They also say that the product I have in use at several other clients (totaling about another 50 PCs), VIPRE, is poor... yet with VIPRE, I cannot recall the last time a client was infected... so who do you believe - EXPERIENCE?  Or a nameless web site that CLAIMS they have tested the products?

Bottom line, your question is akin to asking what is the best flavor of Ice Cream?  EVERYONE has an opinion and which you choose is a matter of personal preference and who you believe.  

Over the years I've sampled McAfee, Symantec, VIPRE, Kaspersky, Nod32, AVG, Dr. Web, Avast, and probably several others I'm just not remembering right now and for the past few years, the best, most reliable product in MY EXPERIENCE is VIPRE.

I know that this is a biased question for most, but want to hear what others have to say.
I am leaning towards Vipre, BitDefender, Kasperksy, or AVG, but not sure which one to go with.
Thanks,
Kelly W.

@Lee: my experience with Vipre is just the opposite :)

I've tested it a few years ago (given free licenses by a sales rep) and it's detection was abysmal and it was the most resource hungry A/V I'd ever seen. Effectively made a brand new laptop unusable.
Probably they improved, but I have not touched it since.

So yep, it's all about personal experiences :)

And for my 2 cents worth...

I use a 2 pronged approach, i.e. Microsoft Security Essentials (AKA Windows Defender) as primary with a secondary scan by MalwareBytes AntiMalware...

I find this combo the best at blocking most infections, and on the rare occasions when they break through (like 0-day exploits), most effective at removal...

Also, the price is right! (Both are free!)...

If Servers are involved, however, other choices must be made!

Malware bytes is not free for commercial purposes.

@Lee: maybe these below reports will better suit you.  Experience does not trump test results when that experience is in an entirely different environment.  Maybe VIPRE works well for you but that doesn't mean it will work well in a different environment where different applications, users, and requirements exist.  If the links that I post are biased, then by all means provide the OP a link backing up your claims to help them out.

http://www.av-comparatives.org/security-usage-surveys/

http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/corporate-user/

https://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/index

Cloud-based: Webroot SecureAnywhere.

PC-based: Avira.

@Justin F

Why are you wasting time with blind links?

I spent way too much time TRYING to navigate those sites, and your apparent claims that VIPRE is bad seem to be contradicted by your own links - compare some of the products typically discussed on that site (your THIRD link) VIPRE usually passes when tested (one fail - but again, I don't trust arbitrary reviews - experience is what counts to me and experience says VIPRE works.  See https://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/archive/compare?tab=onDemand&id=67&id2=4&id3=15&id4=2&id5=109&id6=14

When I search for VIPRE on AV-TEST, the last link to anything with VIPRE was over a year ago... They hardly pay attention to the product.  And they claim symantec is pretty good - If it's so darn good why to I keep having to clean up after the messes it lets in to my client's network - and if it does "work" - then it inevitably has bugs - I've seen how Symantec treats the product over the years - they are HORRIBLE at testing.  What works today might not with the next rev.

And finally, the AV-Comparitives PDF I looked at simply mentions they tested Vipre.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about results.  

If you want to debate VIPRE being better than symantec, I'm not interested - I've seen WAY too many problems over the years with Symantec so that EVEN IF they are working well today, they've COMPLETELY LOST MY TRUST that they will continue to do so tomorrow.  Their programmers - or at least program managers are incompetent as far as I can tell.

@Lee

First I never stated anything negative about VIPRE or anything positive about Symantec.  In fact I left my personal opinion out of all my posts.  I also never stated that the links I provided had anything about VIPRE.  I am trying to provide the OP with an unbiased answer as to what the best AV is rather than an "My experience is wonderful with xxx AV and anybody or anything else that states otherwise is bogus" answer.  Those links were merely to provide other reports for a more rounded review of AV software on the market.  If you go back to my first post you will see I suggest the OP does their own research to ensure they get a product that meets their exact needs.

I don't know what your link is supposed to tell me.  Great Symantec didn't come out on top.  Go back in my posts and find where I even mentioned the word Symantec.  Heck go back in my posts and find where I supposedly claimed VIPRE was a bad product.

You should cut the arrogance and focus on assisting the OP with their question.

Wow...I did not know that this would raise the dander of some people.
Not sure how to give points out since this wasn't so much to fix a problem but to get information.
Thanks,
Kelly W.