Product updates wreak havoc

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I am not 100% certain if Avast for business is responsible for the network disruptions I experienced this morning, but I am confident enough to write this post.
This morning I came into work, and none of our workstations could connect to the server.  Eventually, Avast opened a "dialogue box" asking if the new network was public or private.  What "new " network??  We responded "private" and restarted each workstation.  Finally we were able to connect to the domain network. 
However, Avast ignored my "exclusion list" and attacked the programs on the list when we tried to use them.  When we attempted to open these applications a second time, Avast decided to work normally, and allowed the applications to function.
My point is that Avast needs to warn customers when they wish to push out updates which will hobble our systems.  The amount of downtime and stress caused by this update was unacceptable.

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I too have experienced strange things since early March.  My machines told me that Avast has expired, and being unable to get updates or reconnect any other way, I uninstalled and reinstalled Avast on almost all of 42 machines, not exactly time-productive. From that time, only 5 of the computers have maintained SAFE status! I schedule tasks and they don't get done. I sit at the computer and tell it to scan and it spins uselessly for 15 minutes w/0% progress. Chat support (when I could get thru to them on 2 occasions in 2 weeks) said Avast hasn't been able to communicate with our machines....well, the Devices indicate that some of them were "seen" last sometime in April, the version of Avast I was uninstalling on some of them was less than a week old.....and are still somehow in danger!? What has changed? Nothing here (except the continual Win10 updates)has changed since last September but now Avast can't "see" them??? I know that updates don't always work with all things, but I have no choice but to run Win10. I'm running out of things to try and time to exclude every possible variable on our 42 machines. Avast used to work fine. My machines tell me they're "protected", but the website tells me most of them have not been heard from since before I reinstalled the program, hence they're "in Danger".
     Surely Avast knows that workplaces, and especially schools, must have reliable internet filters. We've had the same one since last summer, and all but a few of our machines are powered on until 3:30 every day; it's not like there isn't enough online time to communicate with Avast! Frankly, we need to be able to shut them down at night and weekends; so, let Avast communicate while we are online! Why not anymore?
     I'm not full time IT, and the only reason I'm on this forum is because I need answers, the blasted chat is down again (as it has been when I have time to do it), and leaving a message must only be possible to those who know the secret handshake, cuz i can't find anywhere to leave messages when I need to do so!

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I am not 100% certain if Avast for business is responsible for the network disruptions I experienced this morning, but I am confident enough to write this post.
This morning I came into work, and none of our workstations could connect to the server.  Eventually, Avast opened a "dialogue box" asking if the new network was public or private. 

Are you sure this was an avast dialog box? Because this is usually windows detecting a network adapter change and wanting you to choose the proper network profile.  If you're on a windows domain and your workstations are joined to the domain, u should never get this prompt unless gateway/dns cannot be contacted I believe.

However, Avast ignored my "exclusion list" and attacked the programs on the list when we tried to use them.

I've had problems with exclusion lists and found out I was just doing them wrong. Make sure to use wildcards like * on them and if you're adding exclusions through the avast console, make sure the endpoints are actually receiving those changes by opening the settings of avast on a few sample endpoints.

[Eddy]

asking if the new network was public or private.

Sounds like the firewall to me.