As the name indicates, Avast! Server Edition is designed to work on the servers and sub servers and protect them from viruses or other related attackers. The tool is able to work on independent file servers and server subsystems as well like emails or proxies etc. via plug ins.
Some of the server plug ins supported by the utility include:
. MS Proxy/ISA server
. SMTP server.
. MS Sharepoint Server (both Portal Server 2001/2003 and Windows Sharepoint services 2003)
. MS Exchange Server 2000/2003.
Some of the eye catching features incorporated into the Avast! Server Edition tool include:
. Provision for kernel level detection and removal of 100% of threats that are potentially dangerous and spread quickly.
. Provision for resident protection wherein the tool is able to detect and remove the threat before it can enter the system and cause havoc. A new feature included in this version is the semi silent mode of operation that is used to display virus warnings on a server system.
. Provision for a simple user interface for the novice and an enhanced user interface for experienced users giving access to all the features for extensive scan control.
. Provision for automatic updates as well as PUSH updates where the updates are initiated by the server instead of the antivirus engine in the system. Using SMTP protocol, the system responds to the server’s alerts and downloads the updates.
. Provision for a Virus Chest that can be placed on the hard drive and contains files and folders that are deemed important and need to be safe guarded.
. Provision for excellent system integration with the addition of a boot time scan that scans the files while the threat is inactive. Support is also provided to more Windows versions (from 95 to Vista  64 bit)  than any other anti malware product and for IA-64 and AMD-64 based machines.
. Provision for scans to be carried out via the command line interface which is preferred by experienced users.
. Provision for a Notification Manager for applying notifications to on access and on demand scans. Thus when a virus is encountered, the antivirus engine knows what needs to be done according to the notification provided.
. Provision for Direct Cluster and Terminal Services Support which include direct support for setting up of large clusters, with a special wizard for installation of the cluster engine.

Some of the new features in the version 4.8.1296.0 include:

. Provision for a Standard Shield for better compatibility with MS Office utilities and speed optimization by not scanning system DLLs.
. Bug fixes in the following areas: program settings menu, incorrect statistics in sessions of scheduled tasks, very slow scanning speeds of certain archives, handling of infected files, system crash during boot.
. Improved executable packers in addition to the transition to new data storage wherein the engine does not need the ODBC/Jet drivers anymore and can thus work well even with older machines.