I've stumbled across this thread because I was searching for info on NAIMAS32. I am tech support rather than IT, and reality has forced me to view AV software as a potential cause for trouble - ranging from frequent crashes, hangs and bad performance to outright failure to run - and investigate accordingly when I have to solve problems on the computers in my care.
I have the extra complication of looking after computers - which vary wildly in terms of age, configuration and manufacturer - in far-flung locations on other people's networks, which means I have no control over AV software installation.
For my purposes, AV software is an unstable resource hog that doesn't play well with others. I've seen my programmer coworkers have to turn of AV software in order to get sufficient resources to compile large programs. I even worked in an office myself once where nearly everyone turned of the AV software because otherwise the computers would either barely run, or not even start a program we needed to do our job. The fact that I've seen computers get network-borne viruses while supposedly protected, safe and sound, by full-blown corporate AV software and procedures makes me dubious of its merits in protecting against network-borne viruses - which are the only viruses the computers I troubleshoot are ever going to get.
Anyway, the point of this is - spend at least one second wondering why you have the problem of people turning off AV software. Some people do it just out of general contrariness or actual malicious intent. However, in all likelihood, the vast majority are doing so in desperate efforts to get their computers to run right. Rather than paint them all as stupid and/or evil souls who should be shot or fired, pick up the phone or stop by their desk and ask them why they're doing it, and help them solve the issues they're probably having. Many of them have enough knowledge to try this step, but not enough to diagnose and fix what the real problem is.
We can joke about end users, but just consider for a moment that some of the problems start from IT. The only reason that I, someone with no formal background in computers, got involved in this field at all is because there was a time at a company I once worked at where IT was never available and somehow the role of practical support fell on me.
The real crime is not people taking improper steps in trying to get their computers to run right; it's in forcing end users to that drastic step because there's no help and no alternative. If that's what's causing widespread anti-AV use at your facility, look inward for a solution.
