Review: IBM Proventia Network Mail Security System

For: Easy to configure policies and IPS protection for itself and the mail server. Against: Too expensive for smaller environments. Verdict: Good product for larger environments and a must if you are a Proventia shop.

This is a solid appliance with a load of features, such as spam control, anti-virus, content filtering and even an intrusion prevention system on board to protect the device itself, as well as the email server.

We found this tool to be quite similar to all the other products in the Proventia line with which we have experience. The initial setup takes just a few minutes and is guided by a wizard.

Once configuration is complete, administration and further tweaking is done through the Proventia Manager, a Java-based GUI, which is well organised and easy to navigate.

Also, like most of the other products in the Proventia line, this item comes fully loaded with many pre-defined rules and policies.

These policies can be further customised with a quick click of the mouse to be as broad or as granular as needed.

There is also a large amount of filters already built into the appliance, including compliance filters, such as image and attachment stripping.

The documentation for the Proventia Network Mail Security System comes in the form of a few PDF manuals, two of which are a getting started guide and a user guide.

The getting started guide includes deployment considerations and a brief lesson on mail systems, as well as installation and initial configuration instructions.

The user guide provides further feature and maintenance information. Both guides include many clear step-by-step instructions. However, there are hardly any diagrams or visuals.

Support offered by IBM is included in the purchase of the appliance and includes 24/7 phone and email support, as well as a very large support area on the website, including a knowledge base, FAQs section, documentation and downloads.

Even with a price tag of about US$10,500, we still find this to be a solid investment and a good value for the money. This product offers a high level of protection and compliance, but it is still easy to manage and administer.

See original article on SC Magazine US

ibmmailnetworkproventiasecuritysystem