8e6 Technologies Professional Edition

The R3000's filtering capabilities include URL-based filtering and blocking of unauthorised sites and file types, as well as peer-to-peer and IM filtering. The Enterprise Reporter provides quick and easy analysis of common web traffic and policy violations.

Where this product really shines is the new component, the Threat Analysis Reporter. This provides the ability to create custom gauges to dig deep into how people are using the internet and where bandwidth is being wasted across the entire network.

We found setup and installation quite simple, even though this product has several modules. Deployment can be done in stealth, router and firewall modes. The R3000 is connected to a hub or network tap to filter traffic. It communicates with the other devices, which sit directly on the network. Once the devices are set up, most administration is done via the R3000's intuitive Java-based management interface.

This product is designed for the large environment and has excellent flexibility and policy granularity. The box comes with some preconfigured policies, which can easily be customised, or you can create rules that are specific to the needs of the environment. It can also plug into Active Directory to authenticate users, and different policies can be created for specific users, groups or IP addresses.

Documentation includes quick-start and user guides for all devices. The former are detailed and very helpful for deployment and initial setup. The user manuals are equally clear and give more detail on setting up certain features and configuring policy.

The vendor offers many types of support, including phone, email and a dedicated section on the website with product documentation, software updates, and a knowledge base.

Starting at just under $25,000 for 1,000 users for all three devices, this product is an excellent value for large scale environments. This product provides the flexibility and analysis capability needed for high traffic or high security environments.