> we have requirements from our board to have specific software such as anti-malware and anti-ransomware, among other protections

In the past, when I worked at companies like that, you could still stick the IT garbage laptop in a drawer, and then BYOD for development work (which is what I did...)

That way, the board gets the conflict-of-interest software license slush money, and the developers can do their jobs. Win-win.