We looked at several products available from Symantec to help provide insight into how to reduce overall enterprise disk storage requirements and cost. The video touches on several strategies that enterprise IT managers can employ to analyze their storage use. Symantec NetBackup Pure Disk v6.5 http://www.symantec.com/business/netbackup-puredisk Veritas Command Central Storage v5.1 http://www.symantec.com/business/commandcentral-storage Symantec Enterprise Vault v8.0 http://www.symantec.com/business/enterprise-vault Veritas Storage Foundation v5.0 http://www.symantec.com/business/storage-foundation Symantec Corp. 20330 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014

Author: davidstrom
Tags: web Informant david Strom symantec backup software
Posted: 08 July 2009
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

A single-sign on, two-factor authentication portal that is easy to setup and deploy for both internal and external Web and other resources. Price: $30 per user per year subscription service (or $3/mo/user) Requirements: Runs on Windows IE v6 and above, Firefox v3 on both Windows and Mac We tested the service on a variety of browsers on both computers during June 2009. Pros:  Simple to setup and deploy without any programming or security skills required  Hosted service, no software to install on the desktop  Powerful management controls for business users Cons:  Reports and event logging somewhat difficult to parse  Doesn't completely support Safari browsers MyOneLogin.com Tricipher Corp. http://www.myonelogin.com/ 650.376.8326 750 University Avenue
#260,
Los Gatos, CA 95032

Author: davidstrom
Tags: David Strom Web Informant applications visibility
Posted: 24 June 2009
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

PacketShaper 900 Blue Coat Systems 410 N. Mary Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94085 (408) 220-2200 http://bluecoat.com Price: $2,500 base price We tested a PacketShaper 900 on a small test network showing how it can discover, classify and prioritize application traffic. We address four different questions that IT managers have about understanding how bandwidth-consuming applications interact over their networks, and how individual applications can be controlled for particular use cases.

Author: davidstrom
Tags: David Strom Web Informant applications visibility
Posted: 24 June 2009
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

We tested RC of v12 on a small network running Windows Server 2003 and XP machines. Pros: Simple to install and to setup default automatic protection, reports easy to understand, priced competitively with anti-virus only solutions Cons: Only protects Windows PCs; default isn't to replace built-in Windows firewall Price: Server licensed free, with $44.99 MSRP per client with volume and competitive discounts available Free 30-day trial for unlimited licenses Supports: Windows XP (SP 1 or later), 2000/2003/2008 Servers, NOT on Vista Symantec.com 20330 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014 http://www.symantec.com/business/endpoint-protection-small-business-edition

Author: davidstrom
Tags: endpoint security David Strom Web Informant
Posted: 20 April 2009
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

HyTrust offers managers and administrators of VMware's ESX virtual infrastructure a centralized, single point of control for hypervisor configuration, compliance, and access management that is both secure and easy to use through ordinary Web browsers. We tested the RC version of the product in March 2009 by making a remote connection to HyTrust's own test lab. Supports: -- ESX version 3.5 only (not ESXi) -- Works with Internet Explorer and Firefox, most current versions. -- Both Windows Server 2003/2008 domain controllers Price: $7,500 for the appliance ($3,000 for software only) plus $500 per CPU ESX socket protected plus 25% for maintenance and support per year. Free version available to protect up to three ESX hosts but without any support contract. Pros: -- A solid collection of tools to secure your VMware ESX infrastructure -- Integrates with Active Directory and VMware vCenter policies -- Fully functional freeware version allows for experimenting and learning before purchase Cons: -- Limited to ESX currently -- Log viewer could be better integrated into the product HyTrust Appliance 1975 W. El Camino Real, Suite 203 Mountain View, CA 94040 650-681-8100 hytrust.com

Author: davidstrom
Tags: David Strom Web Informant Vmware virtualization
Posted: 27 March 2009
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

An online backup server that covers a wide range of servers and services, this latest version includes the ability to protect Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange servers, VMware Infrastructure, and other sophisticated environments. We tested Version 12.5 on a small test network with Windows Server 2008 and Mac and Windows clients. Requirements: Windows 2000/2003/2008 Servers,
 Price: $995 for one license, additional agents varies in price from $395 to $3195, depending on what you need to backup. Symantec Corp.
http://symantec.com/backupexec
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014 Pros: -- Easy to setup and operate -- Free 60 day trial helps you test out the service and become familiar with its operation -- Granular Recovery Technology allows easy restoration of accidentally deleted files, emails, or documents. -- VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V virtual server data protection that is easy to manage -- Integrated online backup for flexible off-site data protection Cons: --Some of the menus are a bit densely packed, such as the Job Setup screens -- This is not a product for single server environments (there is a separate version for Microsoft’s Small Business Server that is more appropriate)

Author: davidstrom
Tags: web Informant david Strom symantec backup software
Posted: 23 February 2009
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Symantec Endpoint Virtualization Suite Symantec Corp. http://symantec.com/ 20330 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014 The suite covers three separate products that have been acquired over the years by Symantec for applications delivery via streaming or virtual layers and a connection broker technology that allows enterprises to manage the way their applications are packaged and delivered to users' desktops. We tested Version 6.1 on various test machines in February 2009. Requirements: Windows XP SP 1 or better with Java J2SE Runtime 5.0 update 6, Windows Server 2003/2008, Windows 2000, Windows Vista Price: $360 (concurrent license), $270 (per node) for entire suite, Streaming + Virtualization $68, Virtualization only $44. Substantial volume license discounts. Pros: -- Powerful software management for multiple use cases so that enterprises can configure and deliver a wide variety of applications and situations -- Granular virtualization layer technology -- Competitive price for the features that are included Cons: -- Complex setup with multiple moving parts -- No common policy management across the various software modules -- Multiple management consoles for each software module

Author: davidstrom
Tags: web informant virtualizationSymantec Endpoint Suite
Posted: 13 February 2009
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Summary:.Data loss protection is still a new field, but Code Green Networks brings a comprehensive solution to stopping leaks of confidential data to unauthorized users. Is your IT leaving with employees that are getting downsized? Is your customer list now the property of one of your competitor's? Then you might be interested in the latest data leak prevention appliance from Code Green Networks Called True DLP, it consists of hardware and software tools that can detect when critical information is being copied from your network to a Web mail account, a removable USB thumb drive, or placed inside a document that is emailed as an attachment, even over an encrypted connection or hidden inside a compressed file ZIP archive. True DLP Code Green Networks Inc. http://codegreennetworks.com 385 Moffett Park Drive, Suite 105Sunnyvale, CA 94089(408) 716-4200 Code Green works in conjunction with the Blue Coat Web proxy (to decode SSL traffic) and a series of email encryption products from Zix, Cisco, and Voltage. Requirements: Just about any network and server configuration is supported. More monitoring and control is available using Windows-based agents for both servers and desktops. Price: $10,000 for 50 users, more for larger networks. Maintenance fee is an additional 18% annually, and agent support is an additional 20% fee Pros: Both structured and unstructured data protected Automatically encrypts sensitive outgoing data Straightfoward Web management interface Cons: There are a number of ways to install and configure the product, depending on your own network connectivity and which servers you choose to protect Only Windows endpoints supported with its agents.

Author: davidstrom
Tags: Web Informant David Strom data leak prevention
Posted: 10 December 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Symantec Corp. http://spn.comSummary:An online backup service that works automatically in the background to make copies of your most critical files and is very easy and economical to use. Online backups have several advantages:-- To aid in recovering files from a lost or stolen laptop-- To provide a simple but effective offsite storage solution for your data-- To keep the costs of backups low and within reach of most businesses Requirements: Windows 2000/2003 Server, Windows XP, Windows Vista with latest service packs installed, with at least 15% free disk space on the volumes that you want to backup.Price: $9.99 a month for basic service for 10 GB storage. Premium service is $35 a month for 10 GB with seven year history of backups. Additional fees for more storage capacity, remote access, and online storage for Backup Exec v12 users.Pros:-- Easy to setup and operate-- Free 30 day trial helps you test out the service and become familiar with its operation-- 24x7 support includedCons:-- Requires a fast broadband upload connection particularly on the first backup or for very large file collections. Only incremental changes are sent on subsequent backups -- Lack of progress indicators make troubleshooting more difficult

Author: davidstrom
Tags: online backup web informantdavid strom
Posted: 14 November 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

As enterprises depend more on Internet-based applications, it becomes harder to defend your network against blended exploits and attacks that target your specific applications. You need something like this product which is more than a standard firewall that typically relies on intrusion prevention and signature based defenses. Secure Firewall is a network and application security device with numerous protective features built-in that are especially useful for protecting your critical applications and data. Secure Firewall has a great track record in the industry when it comes to emergency security patches and CERT advisories, and comes with solid reporting and analysis features as well as the ability to create rules to defend Web applications. We tested version 70007 on a small network in October 2008. Pros: • Combines inbound and outbound network & application protection for both known and unknown attack vectors • Simple configuration of the TrustedSource global intelligence, and Geo-Location provide unique protections to reduce your organizations exposure to attack • SSL & SSH inspection (decryption and filtering) protects against these holes in most deep inspection firewalls today • Rules can be customized for particular defenses and very granular controls over applications Cons: • Uses a variety of management tools, some Windows-based, some browser-based • Setting up different administrative roles is fairly complex Info: www.securecomputing.com 55 Almaden Boulevard, Suite 500, San Jose, CA 95113 Product category: Email security appliance Pricing: Least expensive unit $1,900 up to $70,000 for the largest networks

Author: davidstrom
Tags: firewall David Strom Web Informant
Posted: 31 October 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Secure Computing's Secure Web Protection service offers a proxy server to protect both malware and not-worksafe Web sites. It is a simple and unbotrusiveway to protect your browsing. It isn't useful for protecting Web servers from inbound attacks, for example, and shouldn't substitute for a fully-featured intrusion appliance, but it can protect individuals and small networks especially with a lot of home-based and remote office users. It is based on the company's experience with both its TrustedSource reputation management (see the separate review here) and its Secure Web security appliances. Version: 1.0 Secure Computing www.securecomputing.com 55 Almaden Boulevard, Suite 500, San Jose, CA 95113 Product category: Web filtering and malware protection service Pricing: 30-day free trial of the service for up to 250 users. 12 month subscription for both malware and filtering is $5 a month per user for 25 users. Quantity discounts available, and just filtering is less. We tested the beta version of the service on a small network in September 2008. Pros: • Dashboard shows you status at-a-glance and easy to setup • All critical features managed by a Web browser • Uses the global intelligence features of TrustedSource.org Cons: • Service needs improvement to stop malware from entering via SSL connections

Author: davidstrom
Tags: Web Informant David Strom web filtering
Posted: 02 October 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Napera's appliance works in conjunction with Microsoft's Network Access Protection (NAP), and will support three different operating systems: XP with Service Pack 3, Vista, and Mac OS X. It allows for guest and identity-based access. It installs a small agent on each device that is used for the health check, and to help secure your computer and guide you with the remediation process. It also works with both wired and wireless networks too. Category: Endpoint network security appliance Pricing: $3495 for 24 gigabit managed ports. There are also stackable add-ons when you have larger networks. While this is expensive compared to other managed switches (Dell sells one for $500), it is a bargain when compared to full-featured NAC products from Cisco and others. Pros: Easy to use and setup No Windows servers required to operate NAP Cons: Only Windows XP with SP3supported Browsers must be at least IE7, Firefox 2 or Safari 3 Windows agents use Active X to install themselves Napera Networks Inc 9423 SE 36th St Mercer Island, WA 98040 425 747 7142 http://www.napera.com

Author: davidstrom
Tags: endpoint security David Strom Web Informant
Posted: 29 September 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Summary: VSN is a plug-in for Outlook/Outlook Express that makes for sending and receiving encrypted emails literally a snap. There is a Web portal for users outside the enterprise, and a secure file transfer application add-on to Windows Explorer as well. Advantages: VSN is extremely easy to use once setup. Enterprises should consider VSN if they are looking for more control over things like user experience, which help desk number to call, control over cryptographic elements like root certificates, integration with other systems like Blackberry Enterprise Server. Also, if they are looking to off-load managing third-party authentication and providing help desk support, then VSN should be on your radar. Disadvantages: You will probably need to coordinate the installation among several different IT departments. The online documentation is somewhat confusing. Voltage Security Inc. 4005 Miranda Avenue #210, Palo Alto, CA 94304 (650) 543-1280, http://voltage.com/products/vsn.htm Requirements: Windows only, works with Outlook (2000-2007), Outlook Express and Vista Mail applications Price: $65 per seat per year, includes both secure email and secure file transfer

Author: davidstrom
Tags: David Strom Web Informant email encryption
Posted: 15 September 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Secure Computing's Secure Mail email security appliance combines several different but complementary protection technologies for both inbound and outbound emails in one easy-to-setup box. While lots of vendors have anti-spam products, Secure Mail offers a superior way to stay ahead of the constantly changing and increasingly sophistication of spammers, and the company guarantees it can block 99% of unwanted inbound emails. It also has a wide range of outbound protective features that can help corporations be in compliance with various reporting rules such as SoX and PCI. Product category: Email security appliance Pricing: Base unit starts at $1,995, plus an additional $13.00 per user/year, lower for multi-year contracts and for more than 500 user networks. There are more powerful and costly appliances for larger networks. We tested version the S10 appliance, which is the smallest and least expensive unit, running software version 6.7 on a small network in September 2008. Secure Computing www.securecomputing.com 1-800-379-4944 55 Almaden Boulevard, Suite 500, San Jose, CA 95113 Pros: • Dashboard shows you status at-a-glance • Almost all critical features managed by a Web browser • Combines inbound and outbound email protection with global intelligence features of TrustedSource.org Cons: • Changing startup configuration values once you complete the wizard can be tricky to find the right input screens • Reports can be difficult to interpret

Author: davidstrom
Tags: email encryption David Strom Web Informant
Posted: 11 September 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0

Symantec's Altiris Workflow Solution v 6.0 is a series of products that were acquired from LogicBase called TLogic. Used together, they can help you automate virtually any IT process or workflow and imbed business logic into the processes too. The product can be useful for something that requires repetitive human interaction, such as designed an automated system for gambler's comp packages at a casino to keeping track of cleaned rooms at a hospital. Almost any type of process or Workflow can be automated with Workflow Solution. We tested the product in August 2008 on a prebuilt virtual machine that was supplied by Symantec. AltirisSalesInfo@symantec.com, 888-252-5551 http://www.symantec.com Category: Workflow management Pros: Sophisticated models can be built with little programming expertise Cons: There are a lot of moving parts to assemble before you can begin working

Author: davidstrom
Tags: Workflow management applications development david Strom Web Informant
Posted: 27 August 2008
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0