Review: Centennial Software DeviceWall v4.6

For: Easy-to-deploy and manage portable device encryption
Against: Nothing we found during this group test
Verdict: For its strong feature set, ease of use and good value we rate DeviceWall our Best Buy

When we reviewed this product last year, we were impressed by how easy it was to set up and manage. We are happy to see not much has changed in this regard. Setup is simple, guided by an easy-to-follow wizard that includes all the necessary configuration steps for Active Directory integration and database setup. It also incorporates a version of the lightweight MSDE database software for smaller deployments. Once the setup is complete, all management is done through the intuitive console, and setting up policy is done in just a few quick clicks of the mouse.

With direct tie-ins to Active Directory, this product makes managing the use of portable devices easy and efficient. Once a security policy is pushed out to a specific device class and set of users, it is instantly enforceable throughout the entire domain and can even be configured for offline access.

The documentation is well written and easy to understand. The step-by-step instructions assist in deployment and configuration of the product. Administrators will appreciate the use of good quality screenshots that accompany the literature.

Centennial offers phone and email support. In addition, there is a website that contains downloads, technical documentation, a knowledge base and a user forum.

At £13.50, (A$29) Centennial’s DeviceWall is licensed on a per-seat basis and the seat count is typically comprised of the number of desktops, workstations, laptops and servers, where a customer expects an acceptable use policy to be enforced with regards to the transfer of files to removable storage devices. The pricing is based on a sliding per-seat scale, with discounts built in for larger purchases. A 100-seat installation would have a very acceptable list price of £1,350 (A$2,937)

security