This device is like a slightly stripped down version of a unified
threat manager (UTM). The SecurityMetrics IDS/IPS not only includes
IDS/IPS functionality, but it is also a vulnerability assessment tool
and it can be configured to be a firewall and router. This appliance is
also capable of protecting the network from viruses, pornography,
backdoors, cross-site scripting attacks and many other threats.
This device was shipped almost entirely preconfigured specifically
for our environment so set-up was a breeze. It took just a few minutes
to plug it in, update it and look over the policy for any tweaking and
we were good to go. Once the appliance was up and running, we found the
webGUI to be simple and intuitive to navigate. We also found policy
configuration to be simple and quick.
While this appliance was easy to configure, it did not perform well
during test. The IDS part worked very well and identified all the
attacks. However, the IPS failed to stop most of the attacks and the
protected network was compromised quickly by our penetration tool. The
IPS did manage to stop a few attacks, but it only takes one serious
hole to have a serious problem.
Documentation for this product is insufficient at best. The
installation guide is a simple three-page document that does an average
job of describing installation, but it does not explain the deployment
in any useful detail. The rest of the documentation is built into the
appliance as a simple help file. While this help file is well organized
and easy to read, it lacks substantial detail and has no screenshots or
diagrams.
SecurityMetrics does offer support free for the first year on
hardware/software maintenance. The second year of support has a cost of
$999. The support area of the website offers a support contact, but
that is all. Relative to virtually all other products we test in just
about all categories, this is a very weak showing.
At a price of just under $6,000 we thought this product would be a
great value, but as an IPS it falls flat. However, the good news is it
is a good IDS and it does have a built-in vulnerability assessment
tool. In this case, value really depends on what you are looking for.