Network Traffic Control Systems...

[araczynski]

We're looking at our options right now for controlling/filtering traffic (spam/email/web sites/viruses). We're an educational agency providing internet access to almost 2 dozen schools, and we need to be very carefull (obviously) as to what they have access to.

We've worked with SonicWall, Netsweeper, and currently Lighspeed. Things have been getting progressively better as we tried the different systems, but our current one leaves us a little uneasy as it seems to be extra sensitive and tends to throw out too many babies with the bathwater. Although its a very nice system as it filters email spam, viruses, as well as internet sites, has a lot of configuration options, (but always seems to be missing that 'one' that you're after).

anyway, does anybody have something else they can recommend to look at?

TIA
andy

 

[spidey07]

there are a lot of options for what you're trying to accomplish. It sounds like you're looking for security solutions.

So here are some things you can secure:
1) web pages - this could be content filtering or just keeping out worms/virus
2) spam
3) e-mail - content filtering/worms/virus
4) worms/virus already propogating

You can break each one down into its own solution depending on how robust you want.

I've been very impressed and pleased with TrendMicros entire line.

 

[Boscoh]

Take a look at Trend Micro's gateway filtering options. They have a proxy setup that filters for everything you're looking for. I do not have experience with their internet content filtering system, as we use Websense for that and are pretty happy with it. You should be able to get eval's for any of Trend Micro's products, except for maybe their appliances. Their heuristic-based spam filtering service (it's called "SPS") uses an engine licensed from Postini. It's very good, although it does tend to catch quite a few false-positives, so you might want to keep that in mind.

N2H2 seems to be popular as a content filtering solution with edu's, so you might check them out as well.

 

[araczynski]

thanks for the suggestions guys, i'll look further into trendmicro.