The intruder at the gate

		Contents Introduction CyberGuard SG710 Fortinet Fortigate 200A Juniper IDP 200 SonicWALL 5060 WatchGuard X1000 Tier-3 Huntsman Specifications How we tested Test Analysis Editor's choice About RMIT

SonicWALL 5060
The 5060 is the top of the range when it comes to SonicWALL security appliances. There are six (user configurable) RJ45 copper Gigabit ports on the front of the device and also a fibre version. There is a 9-pin serial console port and three status LEDs (power, test, and alarm) on the front. The rear of the unit has five small fans that are surprisingly quiet, an IEC power connector, and power switch.

Management, and basic log/reporting tasks can be performed through the browser interface. For more advanced command and control over one, or many SonicWALL devices the centralised management and reporting console, called the SonicWALL Global Management System (SGMS), is the way to go.

The SonicWALL intrusion prevention settings are found under the Security Services menu section of the devices console. Once here the operator is presented with the status of the Signature files. You can make changes to the IPS Global Settings while more granular zone-based control can be exercised by going to the network-zones section.

Under the global settings three options can be selected for either level of attacks (high, medium, or low) for detecting, or for detection and prevention. There are also options for IP reassembly and the creation of an IPS exclusion list based around IP addresses/ranges. The individual IPS policies are also under this menu, covering 41 separate categories -- a total of 2016 signatures were contained in the latest release at the time of testing.

Really all this is the tip of the iceberg once the administrator has set up policies and logging. You can view the logs directly from the administration console, or use ViewPoint or SGMS to access advanced reporting tools. It can quickly and efficiently display a range of statistics and graphs at the click of a mouse button. In summary, small-to-medium enterprises could do very well to deploy a SonicWALL security solution. There are so many integrated benefits and options, such as firewall, IPS, threat control at the gateway (spyware etc), ease of use, centralised management, and proprietary secure wireless access points, to either balance or outweigh the argument of "all eggs in one basket".

A SonicWALL deployment is not a "set and forget" security solution but it would certainly reduce the administrative burden of maintaining, administering, and securing four or five technologies.

It would create time to allow security administrators more time to ensure that the security is tested correctly and running securely instead of having them rush from console to console trying to put out fires as they arise.

Product Pro 5060c RRP US$13,194 Price range US$467 - $14,994 Vendor SonicWALL Phone 02 9006 7914 Web www.sonicwall.com   Interoperability Great levels of logging and reporting, very good management console options. Futureproofing ½ Excellent futureproofing through combined security features. SGMS centralised management and reporting console is great. ROI Good pricing for the amount of features available. Service 12 months warranty seems about average for these types of devices, extended warranty is available. Rating