All-Around Virus Protection In One Fell Swoop

The Symantec Gateway Security 5600 Series combines almost every conceivable security feature into a single appliance, which is designed to scale up to high-throughput situations, making the unit suitable for businesses of any size.

Out of the box, the 5600 Series appliances include a full-inspection firewall; antivirus protection; intrusion detection/prevention (with antiadware and antispyware capabilities); antispam; content filtering with Dynamic Document Review; IPsec and SSL VPN technologies; and lastly, URL blocking.

Clustering capabilities increase the reach of the appliance into enterprise environments, while an affordable street price of $3,150 for the entry-level unit gives small businesses access to the technology.

The Gateway Security Series is currently available in three different models. The entry-level 5620 is a 1U appliance that offers throughput up to 600 Mbps and is designed for smaller networks. The 5640 device comes as a 2U unit, includes redundant power supplies and increases throughput to 1.4 Gbps. The top-of-the-line 5660 unit brings throughput up to 3 Gbps and includes additional connectivity options for fiber and copper Ethernet uplinks.

The unit offers a simple browser-based console that consolidates the various management controls into an intuitive GUI. That management interface, combined with protocol anomaly detection and vulnerability attack interception, creates a platform that can be almost “hands off” or easily managed by technicians.

While the 5600 offers protection against both known and unknown (zero day) attacks and worms, further protection is offered via automatic security updates from Symantec Security Response using Symantec&'s LiveUpdate technology. Signature and software updates are fully automatic and occur when Symantec, Cupertino, Calif., has verified a new threat.

Installation of the device is straightforward, and Symantec&'s comprehensive startup guide makes deployment a breeze. For those VARs looking to leverage clustering or other advanced technologies, advanced configuration skills will be needed. Symantec offers its partners ample support options and engineer-led help to resolve any installation issues.

Solution providers will find the unit&'s policy engine adept at controlling access and protecting against blended threats. Advanced policies can be quickly defined and pushed out to the network almost in realtime. The 5600 Series also does a good job of keeping administrators informed. The unit offers several options for transmitting alerts, setting triggers and a comprehensive logging capability that can be used to generate historical reports. Those features create a monitoring service opportunity for solution providers choosing to manage security for their customers.

Symantec offers a comprehensive channel program that complements its security products. Aptly named PartnerNet, the company&'s channel program includes pre- and post-sales support and round-the-clock technical support on enterprise operations. Large partners also receive 24x7 implementation support and priority access to senior Symantec technicians. Symantec&'s PartnerPromos partner portal provides access to promotions, incentives, rebates and preapproved collateral materials. Symantec offers free Web-based sales training to all partners. Traditional instructor-led training is also available. Symantec&'s PartnerNet program is available to certified resellers and solution providers. As part of its current corporate policy, the company does not release margin information.