12 Hot Web Security Products For The Midmarket

It's no secret that Web threats are more pervasive and sophisticated than ever -- and too often a simple antivirus solution just doesn't cut it.

Malicious Trojans and worms like Koobface and Conficker, designed to record keystrokes and steal sensitive information, have wreaked havoc on corporate networks. Meanwhile, Web security solutions used widely by enterprise organizations are trickling to the midmarket and below, as more companies aim to avoid becoming the next headlined victim of a malicious attack. (At left is an illustration of a Web filtering system from Cisco Ironport.)

Here are a few products that can help keep organizations in the clear.

The WS1000 is a secure Web gateway that provides integrated, real-time, zero-day protection against malware, spyware, viruses and phishing. The gateway enables the creation and enforcement of acceptable Web use policies to safeguard against sensitive data loss. Purpose-built on a robust hardware appliance platform, and backed by SophosLabs' 24/7 service and support using a continuously updated knowledge base of the latest threats and vulnerabilities, the WS1000 offers comprehensive protection against unwanted or dangerous content. For midmarket employees, that means risk-free Internet productivity.





With three-stage protection, the WS1000 incorporates:





-- a comprehensive URL/reputation database, which filters against 54 specific categories;



-- a powerful Behavioral Genotype antimalware engine, which uses real-time, pre-execution scanning to analyze and block unknown code;





-- a content/protocol control filter, which offers full support for scanning encrypted HTTPS traffic and true-file-type identification.

Cisco IronPort's Web Reputation Filters examine every request made by the browser -- from the initial HTML request to all subsequent data requests including live data, which may be fed from different domains. This gives IronPort's Web Reputation Filters a unique advantage over vendors that reduce Web reputation to a simple URL filtering category.







IronPort's Web Reputation Filters are the industry's only reputation system to include Exploited Website Defense, Botsite Defense and URL Outbreak Detection -- protecting users from known and unknown exploits, including adware, Trojans, system monitors, keyloggers, malicious/ tracking cookies, browser hijackers, browser helper objects and phishing attacks.

The power behind IronPort's Reputations technology comes from the system's pattern-base assessment techniques and per-object scanning capabilities, which provide a powerful outer layer of defense before malware has a chance to enter the network.

Fortinet introduced Web 2.0 security into its UTM devices with its new FortiOS 4.0 operating system, a major firmware upgrade that integrates hundreds of new features to significantly improve the value and functionality of its FortiGate UTM multithreat security appliances.

Four of the most notable features of Fortinet's new OS include application control, data leakage protection, WAN optimization and SSL traffic inspection. When combined, these features will help customers secure their networks by removing the malicious traffic that is reducing available bandwidth, while accelerating clear traffic for faster and more efficient network performance.



Geared for midmarket administrators, Fortinet's new FortiOS offers improved security and control over local users who communicate with an increasing number of Web-based applications, driven by computing trends such as cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service.

Websense Web Security Gateway allows channel partners to secure their clients' Web traffic effectively, while taking advantage of the latest Web-based tools and applications. Through a multi-vector traffic scanning engine, the gateway analyzes Web traffic in real-time, instantly categorizing new sites and dynamic content, proactively discovering security risks and blocking dangerous malware.



Backed by ThreatSeeker Network technologies, Websense Web Security Gateway provides advanced analytics -- including rules, signatures, heuristics and application behaviors -- to detect and block proxy avoidance, hacking sites, adult content, botnets, keyloggers, phishing attacks, spyware, and many other types of unsafe sites. Independent testing confirms that the gateway exceeds analyst criteria for malware protection, data loss prevention, Web 2.0 threat detection, accuracy and effectiveness.

The Barracuda Web Filter 410 is an integrated content filtering, application blocking and malware protection solution that is powerful, yet easy to use and affordable for businesses of all sizes -- particularly the midmarket. The filter enforces Internet usage policies by blocking access to Web sites and Internet applications unrelated to business, while easily and completely eliminating spyware and other forms of malware from the network. For the midmarket, that means no more productivity loss trying to repair computers or make computers usable again.





Altogether, the Barracuda Web Filter blocks access to Web sites based on domain, content category or URL pattern, downloads based on file type and Internet-related applications -- including IM and music services. It also integrates with "safe search" filters and provides integrated gateway and desktop spyware protection.





The Web filter can support up to 500 concurrent users and 300-700 active TCP connections, and is available for $3,999 with no per-user license fees.

Breach Security's WebDefend 3.5, a Web application firewall appliance, provides midmarket businesses and other organizations with out-of-line deployment and effective blocking capabilities, along with greater flexibility in their blocking options. Based on proven in-line technology, the new deployment option allows organizations to install WebDefend between their Web servers and the Internet for active blocking of Web application attacks. No network reconfiguration is required, freeing midmarket administrators to worry about other, more mission-critical tasks.







WebDefend's features include:





-- Geographic details for security events: WebDefend allows organizations to track the locations of each event using advanced geo-location technology.





-- Customizable event views: The appliance includes the ability for organizations to centrally manage the information users see within the management console.





-- Web 2.0 application support: With the release of version 3.5, WebDefend protects interactive Web applications that feature user-generated content, such as blogs and wikis.





-- Enhanced detection engine: WebDefend provides protection against the latest forms of attacks, including lateral SQL injections, e-mail-harvesting robots and file-inclusion attacks.

To stop nasty Web content from hitting users' desktops, Bloxx's Tru-View Web Filter appliances perform live analysis of Web content combined with contextual understanding, giving midmarket and enterprise administrators complete control over access to Web sites that slow business productivity, such as shopping and social networking sites.





Known as third-generation Web filtering, Bloxx's patented Tru-View Technology tracks and classifies Web sites with a contextual scanning engine designed to analyze, categorize and filter Web pages in real-time with multitiered filtering algorithms. Altogether, every unit features Web filtering, IM, P2P and file management, proxy and cache capabilities, and malware and anonymous proxy blocking. The Web filter also includes an integrated reporting tool that lets users pull more than 120 types of reports, drilling down to everything from "Top Blocked Groups and Users" to "Most Popular Categories" with real-time monitoring capabilities.

St. Bernard's iPrism Web Filter provides effective blocking of inappropriate online material with its 100 percent human-reviewed URL database, iGuard. Equipped with antivirus, the iPrism safeguards networks against time-wasters and Internet-borne threats, such as malware, spyware, IM and P2P. The filter also enforces Acceptable Usage Policies for midmarket organizations, while ensuring employee productivity. And drill-down reports allow midmarket administrators and executives to review and assess all Web-related activity.







iPrism, which was recently upgraded with anonymizer defense to guard against Web-based proxy servers, blocks security exploits and prevents users from circumventing filtering technologies. Meanwhile, the iPrism updates its database in real-time by scanning for new anonymizers daily, tracks activity by domain name vs. IP address and prevents SSL spoofing.

The Blue Coat ProxySG appliance provides a combination of visibility, acceleration and security for Internet gateway connections of both enterprise and midmarket organizations. The product is designed to recognize inappropriate or dangerous Web content and applications, and has the ability to identify specific users through almost any authentication system. Specifically, the ProxySG drills down to the content at the application level with a rich policy environment and fine-grained actions for comprehensive security and control.





ProxySG appliances perform both inbound and outbound controls. Outbound requests can use onboard Blue Coat WebFilter software for URL filtering to determine if users should be allowed to access the requested content based on categorization, reputation and real-time ratings of newly requested content.

Blue Coat WebFilter is augmented by the Blue Coat WebPulse cloud service for real-time assessment of previously unknown URLs and new sources of malware. The appliance's integration with best-of-breed Data Loss Prevention solutions helps protect company proprietary and confidential information, even inside encrypted SSL traffic.

Trend Micro InterScan Web Security Virtual Appliance delivers comprehensive gateway protection against pervasive and malicious Web threats targeting midsize businesses and enterprises using real-time Web reputation, powerful content scanning and URL-filtering capabilities.

The software virtual appliance applies Trend Micro's Smart Protection Network and in-the-cloud security technologies to reduce the time it takes to identify risks and create protection. InterScan Web Security Virtual Appliance protects against Web threats, viruses and worms, spyware and keyloggers, phishing, malicious mobile code, bots, rootkits and other malicious content threats.

AVG Identity Protection gives computer users an additional layer of protection for the new version of AVG 8.5 on top of their existing AVG 8.0 security software. IDP is specifically focused on helping to prevent thieves from launching carefully targeted attacks to steal passwords, bank account details, credit card numbers and other digital valuables, using a technology called behavioral analysis to ensure all the programs running on a user's computer are operating. If it spots something suspicious that could indicate an attempted ID theft attack, it shuts the activity down, preventing any possible theft from happening regardless of whether users are running AVG software or security software from another vendor. IDP runs smoothly alongside all popular programs to keep users safer when they're online.





The technology in IDP is also used in combination with the company's Internet Security suite, which provides total protection for all aspects of users' online use. The comprehensive suite defends against viruses, spyware, worms, hackers, botnets, poisoned Web pages, Trojan horses, spam and other cyberthreats with a full arsenal of digital weaponry.

Most of today's popular sites are becoming Web 2.0 enabled, bypassing legacy security systems. Websense Hosted Web Security (formerly SurfControl/Blackspider WebDefense) enables IT solution providers to build enforceable usage policies without having to block these new revolutionary tools, and ultimately allow their customers to safely leverage the power of Web 2.0 technology without sacrificing security, productivity or control. The hosted security model provides reduced business costs and complexity with centralized management for remote employees and distributed offices. With Websense Hosted Web Security, solution providers can provide mission-critical security and serve as advisers to help establish customers' consolidated security strategy.