Network Associates readies updated security appliances

Network Associates next week will make available the beta version of its WebShield line of gateway security appliances, adding filtering controls to block inbound or outbound content, and set policy based on usage groups.

Expected to ship in July, the three models in the WebShield 3.0 appliance line block spam and viruses, with the WebShield e250 filtering up to 35,000 messages per hour, the e500 up to 45,000, and the e1000 up to 70,000. These appliances compete with a number of other messaging security gateways, such as that from MimeSweeper. With the new functionality  Network Associates is adding for scanning of inbound and outbound content for inappropriate messages or phrases, WebShield will also be competing with the content policy enforcement products from Verdasys, Vericept or Vidius.

Automated scanning of messages for signs of porn, racist, sexist content or other inappropriate use “will help organizations make sure they’re not exposing themselves to legal liability,” said Zoe Lowther, group product marketing manager.

WebShield can also scan for about 300 different document types and chose to block those them if they are of an unwanted size or document type.

In addition, network administrators will now be able to set policy rules, based on groups of users, so that one corporate division might be permitted sending and receiving of some documents but other departments could be restricted.

WebShield is managed via Web-based browser rather than Network Associates’ ePolicy Orchestrator console, which is used for anti-virus management in large organizations. In the future, Network Associates may integrate WebShield into ePO, Lowther said.

This week Network Associates also makes available LinuxShield, anti-virus software for use on Linux server software from Red Hat and SuSE. LinuxShield is configured and managed via the ePO. Network Associates competes primarily with Trend Micro and Kaspersky Labs in Linux-based anti-virus.

John Bedrick, group marketing manager for system security, said Network Associates is also taking the step of making the LinuxShield virus-scanning kernel available as open source since it may be of assistance to Linux customers.

“If a new vulnerability is found in Linux, and the operating system has to be patched, our customers may want to re-compile it with our anti-virus program as well, and with the open source available, they can do that,” Bedrick said

Pricing for LinuxShield starts at $22 for 1-25 servers, dropping to $6.82 for volumes over 10,000. The WebShield e250 appliance costs $1,700, the e500 costs $7,699 and the e1000 costs $12,588.