Security
From intrusion detection to spam, security solutions were high on our list in 2004
Follow @infoworldThe porous perimeter and the ominous "unknown threat" registered high IT managers' worry meters again this year, and security vendors replied with every manner of product. It seems as though we tested them all: firewalls incorporating application-level protection, signature-based intrusion detection systems, anomaly-based intrusion prevention systems, app security solutions, SSL and IPSec VPNs, do-it-all appliances, and a slew of anti-spam gateways.
We saw progress in almost every corner. Check Point, ServGate, and SonicWall delivered firewalls that blended high performance with easier configuration and management at surprisingly low prices. Arbor Networks, Lancope, McAfee, and Sana showed that anomaly-based intrusion detection has come of age; Imperva, KaVaDo, and Sentryware did the same for application security. Check Point Integrity and Sygate Secure Enterprise secured the end point with network quarantining.
We were also wowed by nCircle's vulnerability management solution, Symantec's advanced warning system, and e-Security's method of tying it all together. As for canning spam, Brightmail proved best, although MailFrontier and Proofpoint also aced the test.
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ANTI-SPAM
Barracuda Spam Firewall
Barracuda Networks
Very Good, 8.5
Cost: Starts at $1,199, depending on model, plus a $399 annual update subscription
Bottom Line: Spam Firewall is an accurate anti-spam appliance that's chock-full of features for a relatively low price. It's easy to install and to use, and with only a few weaknesses in documentation and reporting, this is a top anti-spam defense choice.
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BorderWare Mxtreme MX-200
BorderWare Technologies
Excellent, 8.6
Cost: As tested, $12,595
Bottom Line: This capable anti-spam and anti-virus appliance adds secure e-mail server capabilities that ISPs and multidomain organizations will like. It's more complex to set up than the Proofpoint P800, but it offers an excellent false-positive rate out of the box and spam filtering that should improve with tuning.
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CipherTrust IronMail 4.0
CipherTrust
Excellent, 8.6
Cost: Initial cost, $27,000; annual costs, $4,860
Bottom Line: The IronMail 4.0 appliance provides easy setup, delivers great performance, and offers very sophisticated security features such as intrusion detection, a reverse proxy for Exchange, content filtering, and anti-virus. Logging features are complete, and it's easy to add users.
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