Central Concerns
I am concerned here.... I have already spent countless hours trying to resolve conflicts with BDIS, crashes caused by BDIS and now TS response to those BDIS 2015 problems is to install 2016 and use BD Central. I have two current BDIS 2015 licenses and manage the licenses from one computer (my personal licenses).
The first licenses includes my own as well as wife's desktop and my laptop. The 2nd covers the 3 kids machines.
1. The installation process seems straightforward enough for the primary machine (my laptop) I have used to administer my BD licenses .
2. My desktop however is another story. Instructions say to input the e-mail address for other machines under the subscription. My desktop has no e-mail address. I use this as a file server / backup device for the other 5 machines as well as a gaming box and I have no need / desire to get e-mail on two boxes....and anyone who did, wouldn't their e-mails be the same ?
3. The kids machines have e-mail but I don't access their e-mail accounts for privacy reasons. Is there no way to do these installs over the network ? Two of them no longer have active PC based e-mail accounts preferring to do that on their phones or iPads which have no BDIS.
4. This section has quite a few posts about difficulties with Central and, especially considering the time spent over last 150 days, I can't afford more time addressing the problems addressed therein.
These two subscriptions were intended to be a 90 day trial run on BDIS before I installed it on any client machines. Needless to say, given the time I have had to invest addressing problems on these 6 machines, we just can't afford to be spending this kind of effort on client boxes.
Comments
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Hello JackNaylorPE,
Thank you for expressing your concerns.
Bitdefender 2016 products must be linked with Central accounts. There is no workaround to deploy them over a network, without linking them to Central. This option is available only in 2015 or older products.
After verifying your Central and MyBitdefender accounts, we found only one subscription for Bitdefender Internet Security, 3 users. Based on your other subscription type, you have 2 options.
A- If the 2nd subscription was paid and not a trial, the Bitdefender commercial team can merge the 2 subscriptions into one with extended validity and number of users. This way you can manage all computers from a single Central account.
B- If the 2nd subscription is a trial, you must create a 2nd Central account (with a different e-mail address) and link your kids computers to it.
If you go with option A, please send us an e-mail at bitsy@bitdefender.com.
Thank you!0 -
Hello JackNaylorPE,
Thank you for expressing your concerns.
Bitdefender 2016 products must be linked with Central accounts. There is no workaround to deploy them over a network, without linking them to Central. This option is available only in 2015 or older products.
After verifying your Central and MyBitdefender accounts, we found only one subscription for Bitdefender Internet Security, 3 users. Based on your other subscription type, you have 2 options.
A- If the 2nd subscription was paid and not a trial, the Bitdefender commercial team can merge the 2 subscriptions into one with extended validity and number of users. This way you can manage all computers from a single Central account.
B- If the 2nd subscription is a trial, you must create a 2nd Central account (with a different e-mail address) and link your kids computers to it.
If you go with option A, please send us an e-mail at bitsy@bitdefender.com.
Thank you!
Well here I am 6 days later with a response both on the forums and via TS that is non-responsive.... much like all the other TS responses I have gotten. I have spent more time with TS in the last 5 months than I have with all accounts / subscriptions combined at multiple sites over the last 25 years.
1. The recommended solution to issues with BDIS 2015 is use BDIS 2016.
2. I don't much care if the accounts must be linked to central except for the fact the Central is clearly not ready for prime time which is clearly evident to the multitude of posts here. You say that they can be installed over a network ... so why are you keeping "how to" a secret ? You state that you found 3 licenses. I told you my desktop doesn't have an e-mail program installed and still neither the forum nor e-mail support offers instructions how to. The instructions say all machines must have an e-mail.
3. The reason I bought 2 subscriptions is because contrary to logic, buying licenses for two 3 pak licenses is less expensive than buying a 5 license pak. I have already e-mailed TS my receipt showing 2 licenses.
4. None of my accounts are trial accounts. I manage multiple sites and I was using BDIS to evaluate in my own office before installing on client sites. As I have spent more time conversing with TS on these 6 installs than on all machines at all sites over the last 25 years combined, the evaluation is not going well so far.
Following the industry over the years, we have observed the rise and fall of numerous AV companies. Over the last 25 years, we have watched several rise to become industry leaders who became victims of their own success and self destructed. Great detection is not enough....
- when maintenance / troubleshooting of your malware program(s) becomes a routine part of your work week it becomes a burden
- when it takes a week to get an answer from TS, it becomes a burden
- when anti-piracy features take 2nd place to ease of use, it becomes a burden
- when boot time increases, systems crash and you can't use your normal stable of programs / utilities, it becomes a burden.
- when questions are asked how to install on a machine covered by the license with no e-mail program, and you don't get answers other than a statement 6 days later that subscriptions make things better for the customer, it becomes burdensome.
It's clearly not making things better for the customer as is evidenced by the posts here on the forum and the 5-6 days it takes TS to answer / non-answer.0 -
Thank you for your feedback, but you have misunderstood our suggestion.
You don't have to setup a working e-mail account or an email client on your kids' computers. Just enter the e-mail address corresponding to Bitdefender Central at the Sign In step, during the Bitdefender installation. Please consult the attached image to understand what I'm referring to.
If you have troubles following the steps or simply wish to manage all the Bitdefender subscriptions from a single Central (e-mail) account please send us an e-mail at bitsy@bitdefender.com and my colleagues from Bitdefender Commercial Team will help you.0