The Boldon James Classifier bundle is a comprehensive data leakage prevention solution that is easy to implement in organizations large and small. Various license options are available, which gives organizations flexibility in choosing only the features they need, while still retaining the option to purchase others later if needed. The package seamlessly integrates with the Microsoft Office suite, which gives users the same user interface, but adds the ability to implement a classification to documents and emails. User-defined classifications can then be checked against defined policies to ensure compliance - and be further adjusted as necessary. Boldon James Classifier even has the capability to enforce S/MIME encryption for the most sensitive emails.
The comprehensive software kit that we received came in the form of several CDs, but it took us only minutes to integrate the software into our SC Lab system. We began by setting aside a machine to install the centralized administration console. All of the administration for Boldon James Classifier is handled from within its Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, which makes configuration simple and familiar. We inserted the provided CD into the drive, extracted the ZIP file with the installer, and then followed through with the software installer wizard to complete preliminary setup. After that, we opened the snap-in MMC and followed the provided instructions to complete first-time setup, which was straightforward and well documented.
After we had the administration console setup, we imported our licenses and began tailoring the product to our environment. We configured our labeling configuration, which let us set classification options. Then, we set up our messages, which included alerts and warnings for when a user violated a classification rule. We also configured watermarking for sensitive documents at the top and bottom of the page. We imported our users from Active Directory before deploying the agent to our clients, which we easily accomplished by deploying on all of our machines the provided MSI with group policy. When we opened Office, the Classifier followed all of our policies perfectly. Boldon James Classifier is easy to configure as its administration console is entirely wizard driven.
For documentation, we were provided with a full suite of PDF guides that included overviews, getting-started guides, feature specific configuration guides, as well as full administration guides for each product in the bundle. The documentation was separated in a way that made it easy to find what we were looking for. Overall, the documentation was error free, easy to understand and included many helpful pictures, charts and diagrams.
Boldon James offers a free 60-day software warranty with the purchase of Classifier. Support includes eight-hours-a-day/five-days-a-week telephone and email aid as well as access to its website support feature. This can be expanded to a software support and maintenance contract priced out at 20 percent of the license cost for one year. Support can be further expanded to include consultancy, configuration, training and other custom support levels. These expansions are priced out on a customer basis.
Overall, we were pleased with this tool. It thrives in massive deployments, yet is still easy to set up and configure. Licensing is a reasonable $15.20 per user when a 5,000-user license is purchased along with a support contract. - Sal Picheria