The Axway MailGate SC offers a full set of features for both email content management and security. Using this email gateway administrators can set policies for managing content in both inbound and outbound email along with virus scanning, attachment scanning and spam protection. Taking this product to the next level of email content management are the built-in collaboration features. Users can use these features to securely share and distribute files to other registered users of the appliance - both internally and externally - eliminating the need for file sharing from other less secure methods.
We found the setup of the appliance to be easy and straightforward. The initial setup of the appliance was done by connecting a keyboard and monitor to the appliance and entering the appropriate IP and network information. After the network information was set, the rest of the setup was done via a web browser from a machine on the network. The first time the web interface was accessed, we were presented with a short deployment wizard which guided us through some basic settings of the appliance and licensing. After the wizard was completed, we were taken to the web-based management console for the rest of the configuration and management of the appliance. Overall, we found this console to be intuitive to navigate and easy to use.
We also found that the wizard had pretty much set up an initial configuration and there was very little to tweak for the appliance to begin filtering immediately. The base configuration of the appliance is a solid starting point for almost any organization. Some basic features are already activated, such as virus scanning and basic content filtering. The appliance also comes pre-loaded with a few basic rules for filtering that can be activated by simply clicking the "enable" button. As for compliance policy and templates, we found this tool to lack slightly on the pre-configured policy front. The MailGate SC does include a few filtering lexicons, but they are limited in variety and only focus on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). The included lexicons are quite comprehensive.
Documentation included a quick-start, administrators, setup and user guides. The quick-start and setup guides provide an excellent amount of detail on how to get the appliance up and running, while the administrator guide focuses on how to use the appliance and perform advanced configuration. We found these guides to be easy to follow with many screen shots, diagrams and step-by-step instructions. The user guide, however, was not as well put together. While we found the setup steps fairly easy-to-follow, there were no screen shots or examples to provide context.
In terms of assistance, Axway offers the first year of basic level support as part of the initial purchase price. This includes 14-hours-a-day/5-days-a-week phone-based technical support along with product updates and upgrades. After the first year, customers can purchase additional help via a subscription.
At a price starting at $8,000, we found this product to be an excellent value for the money. The Axway MailGate SC offers all the functionality of a solid email gateway along with added features, such as secure file collaboration and secure mailboxes.
