Investcorp

Founded in 2006, Avira is a German software company mastering in the sector of the security system. The most famous product of Avira, Avira free antivirus application was developed during the 1980s by the predecessor company of Avira, H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH. Over time it has been modified several times for Android, iOS, and Windows. Avira has also expanded its product spectrum entering the world of IoT. Avira used to support the Linux OS as well but discontinued it in 2013.

Tjark Auerbach is the founder of the company. Tjark is born in 1957 and he is currently famous as the Former CEO of Avira.

Success
of Avira

Under
the name of H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH, Avira was introduced in the market in
1986. But, the software company Avira Operations GmbH & Co. KG was founded
in 2006. It is a business in the field of security solutions providing software
for phones, laptops, tablets, etc. It is a family business that has a market in
various parts of the world.

Avira’s
first and main headquarters are based on Tettnang, Germany. Apart from the
country’s headquarters, the other offices are located in the USA, China,
Romania, and the Netherlands. The free antivirus software of Avira became very
famous and by 2012 it reached 100 million customers. Apart from software
products, Avira also delivers cloud-based products. Well, every software
company needs to update itself with time and it’s the motto of their sector.

In
2016, Avira become the sixth-largest antivirus in terms of market share and
until today it maintains consistency. Some of the biggest partners of the
company are IBM, Microsoft, Synergy Systems, Novell, etc. Avira is also famous
for doing charitable work and promote art and culture apart from the growing
technology.

Avira is the recipient of many prestigious awards for its brilliant and high-quality products. In 2008, it received a “gold” status from Anti-Malware Test Lab. In February 2010, Avira achieved a 99% score on a “malware on-demand” detection test conducted by AV-TEST. In 2016, it was named AV Product of the Year by AV-Comparatives.

To
date, Avira experienced three major cyber attacks. In 2005, the company
experienced a buffer overflow vulnerability followed by a compromise in 2010 in
the Avira Management Console. And, in 2013, it suffered 0-day vulnerability
that allowed attackers to get into the customer’s PC.

Main
products of Avira

The
main products that Avira provides for the Windows OS are Avira Free Antivirus,
Avira Antivirus Pro, Avira System Speedup Free (Pro as well), Avira Internet
Security Suite, Avira Ultimate Protection Suite, and Avira Rescue System. For
OS X Avira provides Avira Free Mac Security that can be installed and run only
in OS X 10.9 and above. Avira has free mobile security for iOS that can run on
both iPhone and iPad. For Android, both free and pro versions of the software
are available. The company also has Avira Phantom VPN for private networks.

Avira
in the world of IoT

Entering
into the world of IoT, Avira came up with a whole new approach to safeguard
your house with Avira SafeThings. It is a software application that can be
installed on routers and it will keep the connected devices safe in your home.
With the Avira SafeThings customers don’t have to buy yet a new hardware and
install it. With the use of AI and ML, Avira designed such a unique software to
ensure safety at home.

Avira
SafeThings performs four basic activities namely, Watches, Thinks, Acts, and
Shares. First, it will tag all the connected devices at your home followed by
learning their normal behavior using AI. Now, if they detect anything
suspicious it will simply shut down that activity showing the user what is
taking place in the network.

Acquisition
of Avira by Investcorp

In April
2020, Bahrain based company Investcorp acquired Avira Holding for $180 million.
By this time, Avira had over 500 million customers in various sectors including
finances, online identity, malware detection, protecting private data, etc.
Investcorp has a rich experience in working in the field of security and IoT
and the company’s managing director said that it would help Avira expand and
reach the targeted growth faster. Avira also has plans to expand in the
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) segment.

Annasha

Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more