StillSecure Strata Guard Is Something For Nothing

There are two choices when it comes to Strata Guard Free: software to build an appliance or a virtual appliance package. Currently, the more common choice is to build an appliance and install Strata Guard Free. An appliance solution can be built using a common PC consisting of a Pentium 4, 1.4GHz or above, 512 Mbytes of RAM, 10-Gbyte available disk storage space, three NICs, 10/100 (server-quality 3Com or Intel) for gateway (inline) mode or two NICs for standard mode, and a CD-ROM drive.

Installation of Strata Guard Free consists of downloading an ISO image of the product, creating a CD from the image and then booting the selected PC with the created CD. Strata Guard Free is built around a secure version of the Linux operating system and integrates the Strata Guard software into the operating system.

The virtual appliance package offers the same functionality but runs under the free VMware player (which must be downloaded from VMware's site). Both a Windows and a Linux version are available for the VMware player. One note of caution: Installers should have a good grasp of how to set up networking in a VMware session to ensure that Strata Guard Free works properly. Regardless of the install selected, solution providers will find a plethora of featuresbut the commercial version still offers more.

Strata Guard Free is a rules-based intrusion-detection/prevention system (IDS/IDP). It can be deployed in either gateway mode or standard mode. In gateway mode, all traffic passes through the unit and is actively examined. Three NIC cards are required for gateway mode. In standard mode, the unit passively monitors network traffic and then works in concert with a firewall. Firewalls from Check Point Software Technologies, Cisco Systems and NetScreen are directly supported by Strata Guard.

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post

The software is based on the Snort database of intrusions and permits custom rules to be defined. Additional rules can be downloaded as they become available from StillSecure.

One downside of the freeware is that the log database (history database) is limited to seven days, while the commercial version offers a history database limited only by disk space. Other limitations include the lack of device discovery (administrators must manually input the devices to be monitored), and the lack of individual user rule sets. In other words, rules are defined for all users, with no exceptions.

StillSecure is presenting Strata Guard Free to the market as a tool to upsell users to its commercial line of products, but the free version offers plenty of functionality and features to make it a valuable asset to most any small network. The downsides are the lack of automatic updates and a limited history database, but on the upside, you can't beat the price.

Solution providers will find Strata Guard Free an excellent tool for introducing prospective customers to the world of security, especially as a highlighter for what is transpiring on the network. The free version's maintenance overhead can be used as a method to build service revenue for small VARs, and also makes a compelling argument to upgrade to a commercial version at a later date.