Review: CynapsPro Suite 2008

For: A robust feature set under a single management console. Against: The Cynaps console is a bit busy and confusing. We often found ourselves getting lost in the interface, but after a brief time we became comfortable with it. Verdict: If you can handle the crowded dashboard and the cost, this product provides a very high level of security.

CynapsPro Suite 2008 is another tiered protection mechanism. Like many of the other offerings in this group review, the CynapsPro Suite 2008 uses three tiers: DevicePro, CryptionPro and ApplicationPro.

These components address endpoint security by providing a locally installed agent to manage endpoint access and control according to policies defined at the central console.

To control what applications can interact with data, the combination of the management console and agent provides control relative to ports or removable media, encryption of authorised data transport and application whitelisting.

The central management console provides an across-the-board policy and rule definition and management ability. It synchronises with Active Directory, Novell's eDirectory, or provides the ability to create a custom directory. The agent alerts console administrators of infractions of established policies.

DevicePro protects the endpoint by scanning removable media for malware, protects the organisation by logging files transferred to removable media (by only allowing approved devices), and only allowing approved users to use removable media.

ApplicationPro allows users to define application whitelists to control application access within your company, define organisational roles, and assign pre-defined policies to them. ApplicationPro can also profile users' network and application access for reduced costs. It also has a NAC-like feature which stops a machine from spreading viruses.

The last security application component is CryptionPro.This allows an administrator to encrypt everything from removable drives to the entire hard disk of a system using strong encryption systems, such as AES, Triple-DES and Blowfish.

Included in the purchase price is one year of email-based support. Phone support and upgrade support are available, and the fees vary from 14 to 19 percent based on the length of support purchased.

The pricing for CynapsPro Suite 2008 is based on per seat licensing. The per seat fee is US$49. This puts the CynapsPro Suite 2008 at the upper end of the price spectrum.

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