Review: Tumbleweed MailGate V3.5

For: Tumbleweed MailGate provides easy-to-use, feature-rich protection for the email environment at a very reasonable price
Against: Limited to email
Verdict: Use this tool alongside complementary solutions that handle leakage vectors other than email

In addition to performing the usual extrusion prevention tasks, MailGate also prevents outbound spam and viruses, and provides policy management and content filtering. However, this is a gateway so it is limited to traffic passing through it, as opposed to agent-based systems that also manage peripheral leakage.

That said, as an email management tool, especially for managing data leakage, this is one powerful puppy. It is an appliance and it configures like most appliances. First steps are performed using a console device to access the MailGate’s command line interface.

Here you set up the features, such as addressing, that allow the product to connect to the network. Once you connect to the network you can access MailGate remotely through its web-based interface. Run the configuration wizard and the rest is a cakewalk.

We had no trouble getting the appliance up and running. Once implemented, MailGate performed exactly as we expected. For what it does, this product performs very well.

Documentation is first rate on this product. The documentation set comes with everything you need to deploy, manage and use MailGate. Different approaches to selecting modules allow real customistion.

Support is an extra cost option, but there are multiple levels of support available up to 24/7 phone support. However, to access the support portal you have to be a support customer. Outside of the support portal there is very little on the web site beyond marketing materials.

Priced at US$4,000, MailGate is a bargain. This is a product that should be used next to other products that focus on such leakage vectors as local peripherals and protocols other than email (Tumbleweed has additional offerings that address some of those needs).

Since MailGate focuses on email, it does not provide a complete solution to the data leakage problem. That said, as part of an overall strategy it certainly should not be counted out. Its additional capabilities make it well worth considering.

mailgatesecuritytumbleweed