Review: Sophos ES1000

For:Comprehensive low-cost email content management. Against:Documentation could be a bit stronger. Verdict:The kind of strong malware protection you would expect from a leader in that field.

The Sophos ES1000 provides a full realm of email content management and security features.

It comes with spam and malware protection provided by Sophos anti-virus and anti-spam engines that use the vendor's genotype proactive detection technologies, IP reputation services and SXL real-time updating service.

The appliance also has a strong policy-based content filter as well as protection from attacks such as harvesting or denial of service.

From the moment we took this device out of the box, we had an easy time using it. Setup is done out of band through a second NIC so the appliance NIC stays connected at all times.

We found this to be a very useful feature because there is no resetting of IP addresses after configuration.

All setup is done using a web-based setup wizard, which is quick and easy. Once the appliance is up and running management is done through a simple-to-navigate web-based GUI.

This device can integrate directly into the existing LDAP user and group structure, so plugging it into the environment is quite seamless. Once connected polices can be assigned based on this structure.

We also found policy configuration quite simple and had some granular policies set up after just a few clicks.

We only received a setup guide and reviewer's guide with this product. The short setup guide focused mostly on mounting the appliance and very little on setup procedure.

There is a short section that got us started, but we would have liked a bit more detail. The provided reviewer's guide was well organised and quite helpful in showcasing product features and included many screenshots.

While we believe there is an administrator guide, we did not receive one.

Customers get 24/7 phone support, as well as web-based and email support with the purchase of the device licence. There is also a support area on the website with a knowledge base and product information.

Other support options can be purchased, including remote support, helpdesk training and a dedicated support account manager.

At a price of £1,850 this product is great value for money. It brings together solid email protection in an easy-to-use and easy-to-manage appliance.

See original article on SC Magazine US

securitysophos