Gordano Message Suite is a stable of products that includes email, anti-spam, anti-virus, instant messenger and collaboration tools. We opted to install the full suite, but during installation we were able to pick and choose the applications we wanted.
Installing the suite, or any of its components, is remarkably simple for a product of this type, and was very quick. Although you must ensure that your firewall settings and domain name system records are updated, the installation program provides this during setup.
Configuration of the program is through a browser. Again, Gordano has made it extremely simple to access this by providing all the address details during the installation process. Even the browser is launched automatically on completion.
The web-based management console is Java-based and presented in an Explorer-type view. From here it is possible to access all aspects of the Messaging Suite, as well as groups, users, address books and reporting capabilities.
It is extremely comprehensive - in fact some may find this aspect of the software a slight disadvantage as the sheer variety of options can be a bit bewildering.
However, concentrating on the instant messaging module, there is very little that can go wrong. By accessing the Privileges section of a user's profile, the administrator can establish a user's or group of users' access rights to instant messaging. Administration of the instant messaging module is tightly integrated with the rest of the suite.
The product provides some useful tools for the administrator. A logging tool allows all messages to be saved, so providing a comprehensive audit trail in the event of any problems. Comprehensive reports are also available.
By integrating the messaging module so closely with a much broader communications product, Gordano is able to take much tighter control of the security.
The client software can either be Windows- or Java-based, with the former integrating extremely closely with Microsoft Outlook.
Overall, Gordano has developed an extremely comprehensive solution that can be integrated closely with an enterprise's overall communications network.