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Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway 6.0

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The Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway is an appliance based, email security gateway which can be deployed as either a hardware device or as a virtual appliance. The product was reviewed with two additional Proofpoint suite components: ENTERPRISE Protection Suite and ENTERPRISE Privacy Suite. The entire solution provides both security and content management capabilities, which are compatible with most downstream SMTP mail servers.

The Proofpoint setup was very easy and the appliance itself was up and running in just a few minutes. The interface for the device is very easy to navigate and all of the critical features are well organized and can be accessed with minimal effort. The only small hiccup we encountered on the UI was during a system update. When attempting to update the various modules, the system does not provide much feedback with regard to how far along it is in the download process, so we were left guessing as to what was being updated and when it might finish.

From a performance perspective, we found this device to have a bit more processing power and a larger hard drive than comparable appliances. Both the Protection and Privacy suite modules enable just about every anti-spam, anti-virus and content filtering option that an enterprise would need to secure email. Included in the default device and the suite modules is the ability to provide gateway and message-level encryption based on specific policy conditions as well. The Regulatory Compliance options contain pre-defined policies to inspect for patterns and keywords associated with PCI, HIPAA and other standards. A unique feature that we found fairly useful is the ability to "evaluate" the security options in a simulated test mode on external webmail or other non-production sources to see how policies behave before deploying to the rest of the organization.

Documentation on the appliance and online at the Proofpoint website is well-organized and very helpful. "Gold" support features eight hours a day/five days a week phone and email support (including updates to all modules) and is included with the product. Additional tiers of support are available as well. 


Product title
Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway 6.0
Product info
Name: Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway Description: An appliance-based email security gateway, which can be deployed as either a hardware device or as a virtual appliance Price: $8,500, plus user license fees
Strength
Extensive features. Great focus on compliance and pre-populated dictionaries to look for sensitive data.
Weakness
Licensing options may add up.
Verdict
A very strong and competitive product for any environment.

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