How can I install anti-virus software on all my network devices?

Question

I have 20 laptops connected to a router wirelessly. Is there any way I can install an anti-virus program on those devices?

What is the best way to do this? (It would be hard to manually install a program on each device individually.)

Answer 1

You could use Group policies setup through Windows Active Directory, but that will require an Active Directory server.

http://windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/netgeneral/Group-Policy-Deploy-Applications.html

Configuration (reference Windows 2000) but may give you some insight

Create a distribution point

To publish or assign a computer program, you must create a distribution point on the publishing server. To do this, follow these steps: Log on to the server as an administrator. Create a shared network folder where you will put the Microsoft Windows Installer package (.msi file) that you want to distribute. Set permissions on the share to allow access to the distribution package. Copy or install the package to the distribution point. For example, to distribute Microsoft Office XP, run the administrative installation (setup.exe /a) to copy the files to the distribution point. Create a Group Policy Object

To create a Group Policy Object (GPO) to use to distribute the software package, follow these steps: Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. To do this, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties. Click the Group Policy tab, and then click New. Type a name for this new policy (for example, Office XP distribution), and then press Enter. Click Properties, and then click the Security tab. Clear the Apply Group Policy check box for the security groups that you don't want this policy to apply to. Select the Apply Group Policy check box for the groups that you want this policy to apply to. When you are finished, click OK. Assign a package

To assign a program to computers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP Professional, or to users who are logging on to one of these workstations, follow these steps: Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. To do this, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties. Click the Group Policy tab, select the policy that you want, and then click Edit. Under Computer Configuration, expand Software Settings. Right-click Software installation, point to New, and then click Package. In the Open dialog box, type the full Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared installer package that you want. For example, \file server\share\file name.msi.

Important Do not use the Browse button to access the location. Make sure that you use the UNC path of the shared installer package. Click Open. Click Assigned, and then click OK. The package is listed in the right-pane of the Group Policy window. Close the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. When the client computer starts, the managed software package is automatically installed. Publish a package

To publish a package to computer users and make it available for installation from the Add or Remove Programs list in Control Panel, follow these steps: Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. To do this, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties. Click the Group Policy tab, click the policy that you want, and then click Edit. Under User Configuration, expand Software Settings. Right-click Software installation, point to New, and then click Package. In the Open dialog box, type the full UNC path of the shared installer package that you want. For example, \file server\share\file name.msi.

Important Do not use the Browse button to access the location. Make sure that you use the UNC path of the shared installer package. Click Open. Click Publish, and then click OK. The package is listed in the right-pane of the Group Policy window. Close the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. Test the package.

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps. Log on to a workstation that is running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional by using an account that you published the package to. In Windows XP, click Start, and then click Control Panel. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, and then click Add New Programs. In the Add programs from your network list, click the program that you published, and then click Add. The program is installed. Click OK, and then click Close. Redeploy a package

In some cases, you may want to redeploy a software package (for example, if you upgrade or change the package). To redeploy a package, follow these steps: Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. To do this, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties. Click the Group Policy tab, click the Group Policy Object that you used to deploy the package, and then click Edit. Expand the Software Settings container that contains the software installation item that you used to deploy the package. Click the software installation container that contains the package. In the right-pane of the Group Policy window, right-click the program, point to All Tasks, and then click Redeploy application. You will receive the following message: Redeploying this application will reinstall the application everywhere it is already installed. Do you want to continue? Click Yes. Quit the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. Remove a package

To remove a published or assigned package, follow these steps: Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. To do this, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties. Click the Group Policy tab, click the Group Policy Object that you used to deploy the package, and then click Edit. Expand the Software Settings container that contains the software installation item that you used to deploy the package. Click the software installation container that contains the package. In the right-pane of the Group Policy window, right-click the program, point to All Tasks, and then click Remove. Do one of the following: Click Immediately uninstall the software from users and computers, and then click OK. Click Allow users to continue to use the software but prevent new installations, and then click OK. Close the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, and then closet the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.

via: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/816102

Answer 2

If those laptops are domain-joined, just put the antivirus installation executable on a shared folder and create a group policy for to install it, or you could write some script to install it at logon.