Review: Marshal8e6 Professional

Web filtering, malware protection - and forensic capability. Forensic capability? 8e6 Professional Edition is a high-performance, scalable, appliance-based internet security suite, integrating best-in-class URL filtering, application control, detailed forensic reporting and real-time monitoring and mitigation of web-based threats. This system goes well beyond the traditional definition of web monitoring and control. Administrators can drill down deep into logs and reports to find detailed forensic information using the Enterprise Reporter.

However, all this comes at a price, not just in money, but also in ease of use. This product was fairly easy to use once we got it set up, but deployment was not straightforward, using a network tap or switch span port for monitoring. Adjusting our infrastructure to accommodate this device was a bit tricky, but once we had everything set up, it is simple to use. Management is done using a Java-based web console, which is well organised and intuitive, with straightforward tree-style navigation.

This is high-performance, with the large enterprise in mind. It is designed to handle the massive amount of web traffic in larger environments and to make it easy for administrators to pinpoint where and how violations occur. It is also designed to help enforce compliance laws, such as CIPA, HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Documentation is in the form of paper quick-start guides for both the R3000 and the Threat Analysis Reporter and then PDF manuals for each on CD. The quick-start guides detail basic product deployment and initial setup instructions, along with many screenshots and examples. The PDF manuals are split into various guides, for administrators and users. All guides are well organised and offer a lot of detail, along with many screenshots.

Support is included in the purchase price. This includes 24/7 technical support for any fatal system down. There is also a free support area on the website.

At a price starting at about £3 per user plus hardware, this may seem pricey. However, it does offer a lot more than web filtering and control. This is a product for the high-end enterprise where security and accountability are an absolute must.

For: High-end device with a comprehensive feature set and built-in forensic analysis capability Against: Can become pricey for smaller environments Verdict: Flexible and granular, with capability of deep traffic analysis