Palisade Appliance Monitors Network Traffic

With those limitations in mind, Palisade Systems has released its PacketSure 4.0 appliance, which aims to give administrators complete analytical control of their network traffic. The device combines several critical features that help promote network security. First, it takes a layered security approach to managing both incoming and outgoing traffic, sending it through several content engines that ensure only appropriate and safe traffic is allowed to transverse the network.

Of special note is PacketSure 4.0&s compliance engine, which can be set up to meet the legislative needs set forth by regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley legislation. The compliance engine scans incoming and outgoing traffic for proprietary or sensitive data, such as Social Security numbers. If such data is detected, the device halts the traffic, informs the administrator and logs the activity.

The compliance engine also supports content filtering; PacketSure 4.0 performs a deep packet inspection to identify both unstructured and structured content on the network and then compares that content to administrator-defined policies. Together, the compliance and content filtering features can be used to build an extrusion prevention policy, a process that is used to prevent proprietary data from leaving the network and is incredibly important when it comes to preventing industrial espionage.

Other notable features of the PacketSure 4.0 device include auditing and Web filtering. These features are driven by the device&s policy enforcement engine. Palisade, Ames, Iowa, has gone to great lengths to make policy definition as easy as possible. Administrators will find the process of building basic policies to be a simple point-and-click event driven by wizards. Policy definition also is eased by the unit&s ability to “learn” what content typically is moved across the network. In many cases, a solution provider may install PacketSure initially just to monitor and learn about network traffic.

PacketSure is a rack-mounted appliance capable of scaling up to traffic in the several gigabits-per-second range. The unit is usually deployed between the corporate firewall and the internal network. Administrators have the option of installing the device either in a passive or active mode. In a passive mode, it gathers statistics related to network traffic and proves an ideal option for those performing forensic analysis of that traffic. In active mode, it controls all incoming and outgoing traffic based on defined policies. In either scenario, PacketSure proves to be a valuable ally.

Solution providers will appreciate the product&s straightforward administration interface. The administration console is browser-based and can be configured for remote usage. While some solution providers may consider the offering expensive, the capabilities of the product far outweigh the initial cost. It offers scalable bandwidth, so it could be an appropriate tool for a VAR or MSP that wants to offer content management as a managed service. What&s more, the product&s rich feature set provides not just content security but also prevents worm or zombie attacks against the network. PacketSure 4.0 also could become an important part of a bandwidth control policy, which could be the basis of another ROI argument.

Palisade offers a comprehensive channel program, consisting of two primary levels. The first level hinges on a 90-day partner agreement, which allows prospective VARs to become comfortable with the technology. After that period, the solution provider has the option of signing a more formal annual agreement that will elevate it to the Premier level. Premier partners can expect healthy margins ranging from 30 percent to 45 percent, with additional revenue coming from installation support and service.

The company offers an extensive set of benefits, ranging from sales and technical training to dedicated sales engineers to not-for-resale products that can be used for demonstration purposes. Palisade boasts a 95 percent partner retention rate and currently distributes its product directly to authorized partners. All partners have access to a dedicated Web portal and extensive technical-support options.