Review: Voltage SecureMail v3

For: Fully-loaded email security gateway with a fair amount of functionality

Against: Difficult management interface and high cost

Verdict: A solid, high-performance tool with a bit of a high price tag and a challenging user interface.

The clients integrate directly into Microsoft Outlook to provide seamless encryption, and the Zero Download Messenger allows the recipient to access secure email without the need to download decrypters or other tools. SecureMail also has anti-phishing capability and support for wireless devices, such as BlackBerry.

We found this product to be of average ease of use. Voltage normally would do an onsite installation, but in the interest of time we had them pre-configure the box for our environment.

When the box arrived pre-configured, setup was as simple as plugging in the device and following a few simple steps that they gave us. Once the box was up and running we were directed to the web-based management interface. This console was not easy to navigate. The menu options are ambiguous and not intuitive at all. Policy management was less complicated due to a self-explanatory policy engine.

SecureMail has a lot of flexibility. The product seems to have been designed explicitly with a Microsoft environment in mind. The clients can be deployed via domain group policy or by individual users as they are .msi files. When that is coupled with direct Outlook integration and the fairly simple policy configuration, this product can really shine in seamless integration.

Documentation for this product is in the form of a single PDF installation and admin guide. This guide provides organized and detailed configuration and management information.


Voltage offers two forms of support. Standard support is available during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. Premium support is available 24/7.

While this product does have a fair amount of functionality, it also carries a slightly higher cost. The appliance itself has a price of US$1,000, but then per year user licenses need to be added at US$95 per user. We find this to be just above an average value for the money.

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