Review: Aladdin's eSafe

For: Easy-to-manage appliance with a full feature set
Against: Nothing we found during this group test
Verdict: A solid anti-malware gateway that offers good value for money

This greatly reduces the occurrence of undeliverable emails and improves network performance. Message identification creates a point-to-point record of all mails sent both internally and externally, written directly into the session log file.

The HG-200 can set up user or group profiles to define attachment types, sizes, content filters, anti-phishing, anti-spoofing and password-protected archives. Aladdin’s eSafe protects organisations from web threats through administrative file-type blocking policies.

This product is simple to set up, use and manage. Initial configuration is done on the LCD screen on the front of the appliance. Once the IP address and network information is entered, further administration is done via the management console software. We found this console to be easy and intuitive to navigate and managing policy is quite easy as well.

From a performance standpoint, this is a solid product. The default policy is set up as a good starting point and, in most cases, would work just fine. We really liked the Applifilter, which can block harmful applications such as IM, P2P and remote-control programs. Also, the console features a real-time traffic view that gives a brief summary of HTTP and FTP traffic.

The documentation is good and is broken down into three sections: the eSafe Gateway, email and web manuals. An additional eConsole administrative guide helps during the deployment process. There is a good use of images and screen shots to provide a visual reference during the deployment and configuration.

Support offerings for this product consist of both phone and web assistance. Aladdin’s phone support is offered during office hours, usually with a response time of four hours or less. A well-designed website provides customers with documentation and easy-to-find contact numbers, including a technical support portal logon.

At a price of US$3,500, this product is an excellent value for the money for almost any size organization looking for solid gateway malware protection.

esafesecurity