This software fared well enough in our tests, although some peculiarities raised a few warning signals. It installs easily, with separate AV and Exchange components, and an optional management interface. A reboot is required, after which mail scanning was switched off by default and had to be enabled.
Aladdin's eSafe did well enough and has some features that would be particularly useful during an outbreak, but performance was nothing special. Although eSafe is up to version 4 now, that version is purely appliance-oriented. The last version to support Exchange was 3.5, which the company still sells and supports (for now) despite its focus on moving away from that side of the business towards its Linux-based appliance version.
In last year's anti-virus management group test, Hauri's product impressed us with a slick interface and strong set of features. In this test, first impressions were similar. Configuration was quick and easy and the interface excellent - limited options compared to other products, but ample for most users. No reboot was required and the software demanded confirmation that the empty admin password required was in fact correct.
Kaspersky has come up trumps with very fast software with some neat features. Queuing the mail was just moments slower than the top runners with 49 minutes, but processing was fastest of the lot at 107, and it nearly tops the efficiency chart too, with 4,055 scanned.
Norman delivered quick and efficient performance, with acceptable, but unexceptional, reporting. Installation required Norman Virus Control to be installed first, for the AV engine. No reboot was required and, if anything, a surprising lack of feedback resulted - the software just quietly went to work with the default server configuration.
Adhaero Doc is not a general-purpose encryption product, but it uses encryption technology to secure Microsoft Office files throughout their lifecycle. It also integrates with Microsoft Outlook to provide the same protection to emails. It is best described as a digital rights management product.
Dekart Security Suite comprises four separate applications that support all 32-bit versions of Windows and share the same two-factor authentication feature, which uses a PIN code and a USB token or smart card. You can use most third-party tokens and smart cards. Additionally, most types of Bio API and HA API compatible biometric verification devices are supported.
FileAssurity Open PGP is designed to be a low-cost alternative to PGP, while retaining full compatibility with PGP. With it, you can generate, import and export X.509 and PGP keys and it also supports encryption/decryption and digital signing/verifying of standard PGP files. Files or folders may be encrypted for storage or transmission by email. Bulk data encryption is carried out using 256-bit AES, with public-key-based Diffie-Hellman being used for session key exchange. RSA and DSS are used for digital signatures. Another feature is secure deletion according to U.S. government DOD 5220.22M. All 32-bit Windows platforms are supported.
RSA SureFile combines RSA's encryption technology alongside PKWARE's PKZIP to create an encryption product that also compresses files and folders to save space and bandwidth. Because encrypted files are generally fairly random looking, they are incompressible by hardware that may be part of a bandwidth-saving infrastructure. So, it is better to compress files before encryption, or optimize both processes within one product as RSA Security has done.
SecureDoc is a disk encryption product that codes the entire hard disk, including operating system files and boot sector. Therefore it provides authentication of the user before the computer even boots up. It can also be used to encrypt all types of removable drives and media, including Flash cards. Although it can be installed in a password-only single-user environment, it provides an upgrade path to full enterprise-wide PKI and two- and three-factor authentication, integrating with third-party tokens.
Transporting a laptop in a vehicle, it is often too easy to become careless and leave it in full view, inviting a smashed window, loss of expensive equipment and possibly months of work. There is no guarantee that thieves will not break into your car, so a mobile safe is a good investment.
PC PhoneHome differs from the other tracking solutions in that it does not require an annual subscription and is totally self sufficient, reporting not to a tracking center but to the laptop owner. This reduces the cost and ensures a user can pass information onto the law enforcement officer as quickly as it is received.