Endpoint solutions for office computers under Windows 11 put to the endurance test

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October 27, 2000 | Text: Markus Selinger | Antivirus for Windows

Endpoint solutions for office computers under Windows 11 put to the endurance test

The last line of defense in a cyberattack is quite often an office computer with an endpoint solution to block malware, regardless of the size of the company. But how are the security products when it comes to reliably protecting these computers over an extended period of time? In the latest endurance test, the experts from AV-TEST evaluated 14 popular endpoint solutions for Windows 11 over a period of 6 months. How well did they protect the systems, how much of a load did they have on the systems and how many false alarms did they trigger? The latest results show that companies can find a good level of malware protection with the products on the market, provided they make the right choice.

Corporate solutions in the 6-month endurance test

All 14 endpoint solutions for office computers under Windows delivered a solid performance in the latest endurance test

Cyberattacks affect SMEs and global corporations again and again, each time causing production stoppages, which can be very costly. Take ZEGO, for example, a Germany-based textile finishing company. On March 29, 2026, ZEGO fell victim to a cyberattack. This attack paralyzed the company so greatly that the lengthy interruption to regular production operations led to substantial financial losses. In the end, the company had to register for bankruptcy.

The list of attacks on companies occurring in the last 6 months alone is quite long. And the chain of events leading up to the attack is not always immediately evident. A case involving the Poland-based energy company, which was attacked by the malware DynoWiper at the end of 2025, demonstrates however that it is possible to reliably defend a company’s systems. The security solution deployed by the energy company was able to block this attack by the data-wiping malware.

It indicates that a good cybersecurity strategy can make a major contribution to the continuance of a company if a potential tragedy strikes. That’s why it is prudent to know which endpoint solutions can hold their own and deter cyberattacks over a longer period of time. The latest 6-month endurance test under Windows 11 shows how well the products tested can stand up to digital dangers and protect a company’s systems. Included in the test were 14 solutions from the following vendors: Avast, HP Security, Kaspersky (with 2 versions), Legendsec, Microsoft, Microworld, Norton, Qualys, Seqrite, Sophos, Symantec, Trellix and WithSecure.

Each endpoint security suite was subjected to six rounds of testing from March to August 2026 in the test categories of protection, performance and usability. Each category could earn a product a maximum of 6 points – with an overall score of 18 points possible for all three categories. A feat that 6 of the 14 products managed.

Endurance test: strong protection for office computers running Windows 11

All the security solutions were tested over a period of 6 months, during which malware detection played a particularly important role. The real-world test scrutinized every aspect of the products, with a reference set of malware samples as well as a new set of brand-new zero-day malware every 2 months. The lab always deployed the latest versions of the digital menaces in their testing. Overall, the endpoint security products needed to detect and block more than 800 zero-day samples and more than 36,000 already known malware samples.

Protection solutions for office computers put to an endurance test

The endpoint solutions under Windows 11 showed a solid performance in the endurance test – 6 products even achieved the highest score possible: 18 points

Malware detection in the endurance test under Windows 11

Half of the 14 security solutions for companies detected every single malware sample in the endurance test

The results table lists the detection rates highlighting the suites with the best results. Achieving an impressive 100% detection in both the real-world test and reference set test were the solutions from Avast, Kaspersky (with both products), Microsoft, Norton, Qualys and WithSecure.

The endpoint products from Sophos and Symantec made a small mistake in the real-world test and achieved an overall score of 99.9 percent; Microworld scored 99.8 percent. There were no errors in the second test phase. All of the previously-mentioned solutions received the full 6 points for their detection capability in the overall results table.

The solutions by HP Security and Legendsec trailed behind in the real-world test with a detection rate of 99.4 percent; Seqrite achieved a rate of 99.2 percent. These 3 products performed flawlessly in the reference set test. There were a few issues with the solution from Trellix in the two test phases: 98.9 and 99.9 percent.

As a consequence, these last 4 products lost out on a few points and only managed to achieve 5.7 or 5.8 points here.

Endurance test: system resources test on an office computer

Companies need to know how greatly a security solution slows down an office computer; in fact, it’s critical. If a solution places an excessive burden on a computer under Windows 11, it could have a negative impact on an employee’s productivity. Which is why the lab experts look at the amount of system resources that the solutions require for scanning and protecting the Windows systems. Here’s how the lab team runs the test: They perform a number of normal operations on a standard computer and on a high-end computer; neither computer has a security solution installed. They copy thousands of files locally and to the network, access hundreds of websites, download dozens of files and install and launch applications. The test experts record the time that these operations take in order to establish the basis for the reference time. Then they install the security solutions on the test computers and perform all operations one more time, making a note of the various times.

The following 9 endpoint solutions put a very slight load on the system resources of the test computers, earning them the maximum of 6 points for this category: Avast, HP Security, Kaspersky (both products), Legendsec, Norton, Qualys, Seqrite and WithSecure.

The endpoint solutions from Microworld and Trellix strained the system resources of the test computers slightly more, earning the products 5.8 out of 6 points – still a very good result.

Microsoft, Sophos and Symantec however required more resources, which meant there were some deductions necessary. Nevertheless, they earned 5.5 points for this category.

Qualys Endpoint Protection

The security solution for companies performed flawlessly in all three test categories of the endurance test and earned the maximum score of 18 points

Kaspersky Small Office Security

The endpoint solution for SMEs from Kaspersky attained the maximum points in all test categories, receiving the maximum score possible

Norton Small Business

The corporate solution from Norton delivered an error-free performance in all test categories and earned the maximum score of 18 points

Avast Ultimate Business Security

The flawless performance of this product in the latest endurance test earned it the full 18 points over the test categories of protection, performance and usability

Kaspersky Endpoint Security

The endpoint solution excelled in all test categories, earning it the full 18 points in the latest endurance test

WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection

The Finnish vendor of endpoint solutions delivered unmistakably clear results earning it the full 18 points in testing

False alarms: just another harmless file, or is it?

A protection solution can also cause trouble for a company – if it unnecessarily sounds the alarm. Many times, an alarm sets a contingency plan in motion. Parts of the network might be isolated and workstations could be pulled offline. The more often a false alarm is sounded, the greater the effort for the IT department, and the overall confidence in a security product diminishes.

For the test category of usability, the lab team installs the security solutions – one after the other – and runs a set of harmless operations, such as surfing 1,500 websites, installing and launching dozens of apps and copying nearly 3.7 million files. For 13 out of the 14 endpoint products tested, the results of the false-positive component of testing were excellent. They detected everything properly and all earned the full 6 points.

The only solution that blocked off a handful of harmless files was HP Security, which led to a small deduction in points: 5.8 out of 6 points.

Conclusion: the security products showed a high level of reliability in the endurance test

All 14 endpoint solutions put in an impressive showing and delivered solid results in the endurance test. 6 of the 14 products tested earned the maximum score of 18 points: Avast, Kaspersky (both products), Norton, Qualys and WithSecure.

Coming in very close behind in the results table with 17.8 points were the solutions from Legendsec, Microworld and Seqrite. The last 5 products from HP Security, Microsoft, Sophos, Symantec and Trellix earned 17.5 out of 18 points – also a quite good score.

In the end, the endpoint solution vendors have proven that they are making great strides in their R&D and their ability to stay at least one step ahead of the cyberattackers. After all, 11 out of the 14 products tested earned 6 out of 6 points in the test category of protection – and that consistently over a period of 6 months.

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