From the Console you can only Disable or Enable Network Threat Protection.

Alos you can Enable Auto Protect, there is no option for Disabling Auto Protect.

HI GBUG1,

I have just tried this in my test network.

You can go into the SEPM > Policy > Antivirus and Anti spyware policy . Uncheck the option for the enable auto protect. & then go the advance tab & uncheck the option for enable auto protect after some time.

Doing this is not good because this will make your network unsecure.

Please let me know if this works?

This disables SEP for ALL workstations under this policy.
I only want to disable it for a handful of workstations.

You can make a new test group & move the clients on which you want to disable the auto protect into that group.
make a non shared policy for Av & ASPY on that group & then disbale the auto protect for that group.
Plase mark this as a solution if this works.:)

this one also try..
provide enable/disable feature. Create new group-non shared policy then apply.

Is there a scripted way that this can be done, that could be included in with the installation package? Something to stop the services , or to unload the SEP client?

U can use the following script to stop and start the service

'________________________________________________
' Sample script to Stop a Service
Option Explicit
Dim objWMIService, objItem, objService
Dim colListOfServices, strComputer, strService, intSleep
strComputer = "."
intSleep = 15000

'On Error Resume Next
' NB strService is case sensitive.
strService = " 'Symantec antivirus' "
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
& "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" _
& strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colListOfServices = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
("Select * from Win32_Service Where Name ="_
& strService & " ")
For Each objService in colListOfServices
objService.StopService()
'use objService.StartService() to start the service
WSCript.Sleep intSleep
Next
WScript.Echo "Your "& strService & " service has Stoped"
WScript.Quit
' End of Example WMI script to Start / Stop services
'_______________________________________________
OR simple use a batch file with net stop "Symantec Endpoint Protection" and net start "Symantec Endpoint Protection" then create a package of these script's and ur software and diploy.

when writing a batch for SEP the service will be called "Symantec Endpoint Protection".
or you can call smc.exe -stop (-start to turn back on). this way you can provide a password (smc - stop -p password) if you set password to stop the service.
smc.exe is located in the main folder of SEP (C:\Program Files\Symantec Endpoint Protection by default).