Access Control

Access control (2003) (Jan 1, 2003)

As more and more sensitive data is being accessed from networks,managing who can access what is becoming increasingly crucial. By Craig Hinton

Extrusion Prevention (2007) (Nov 1, 2007)

Making sure that intellectual property and other sensitive corporate information does not leave the organisation is crucial. Peter Stephenson rounds up some very different approaches to the problem.

Single sign-on (2006) (Mar 1, 2006)

User verification is becoming more sophisticated and more demanding, and there is a very wide range of approaches for enterprises to choose from, depending on the level of risk. Julian Ashbourn reports

Biometrics

Biometric tools (2007) (Oct 1, 2007)

From fingerprint scanning to facial recognition, these solutions provide high-security access control to networks, PCs and buildings. Will passwords soon be a thing of the past? By Peter Stephenson

Biometrics (2003) (Sep 1, 2003)

Biometric technology has met with misunderstanding in the past, but its benefits are becoming integrated into mainstream security. By Julian Ashbourn.

Biometrics (2004) (Oct 6, 2004)

As with any emerging technology there will always be sceptics, but it is time we gave biometric tools a chance. You might even like them, says Julian Ashbourn

Identity Management, Authentication Platforms, Directory services

Identity management (2008) (Jan 1, 2008)

Personal identity verification systems may be gaining momentum, but it's not always easy to define what falls within this category, as Peter Stephenson discovers.

Identity management 2007 (Feb 1, 2007)

Products in the identity management category are still seeking an identity, reports Justin Peltier.

Multi-factor authentication (2008) (Jan 1, 2008)

Employing several factors to verify users can help take the risk out of passwords. Peter Stephenson looks at a market that has done much to address enrolment concerns and prohibitive costs.

Single Sign On

Single sign-on (2004) (Jan 1, 2004)

9vz8comp1, 327word, n37w0rk – who can remember and manage all today's secure passwords? Geoff Marshall reviews products that are designed to help

Single sign-on (2005) (Feb 11, 2005)

Security means passwords, and passwords mean a growing productivity burden for users and employers. Single sign-on could be the answer, says Julian Ashbourn

Single sign-on (2006) (Mar 1, 2006)

User verification is becoming more sophisticated and more demanding, and there is a very wide range of approaches for enterprises to choose from, depending on the level of risk. Julian Ashbourn reports

Two Factor Authentication, Smart Cards, Tokens

Two-factor (2005) (Feb 10, 2005)

Two-factor authentication products need careful evaluation and testing if they are to provide the protection your enterprise needs, writes Peter Stephenson

Two-factor authentication (2004) (Feb 1, 2004)

You might think that two is more complicated than one, but that is not always the case. Julian Ashbourne shows that it depends on what you want

Two-factor authentication 2006 (Sep 1, 2006)

No matter how safe you think you've made your networks, if the wrong person gets hold of a user password, it's all worthless. David Ludlow tests authentication methods that keep the bad guys out.

Two-factor authentication 2007 (Jul 11, 2007)

With more and more laptops connecting to enterprise networks, two-factor authentication provides greater assurance that the user on the connection is authorized, says Justin Peltier.

Anti Adware/Spyware

Anti-malware gateways 2008 (Mar 1, 2008)

Contrary to expectations, this category is far from extinct, but the market is certainly characterised by a much smaller product choice compared to previous years. By Peter Stephenson

Anti-malware management 2007 (Jul 10, 2007)

With little differentation in the catch rates of actual products, choices must be made by how well the management tools functin and their ease of use, says Peter Stephenson.

Anti-spyware (2006) (Jan 1, 2006)

Many believe that spyware is the biggest threat to an enterprise’s network, but how effective is the protection being offered in the marketplace? Christopher Moody examines a dozen products.

Anti-spyware 2007 (Jul 10, 2007)

Spyware can steal company secrets, your credit card or bank information, your identity, and it can crash your computer. In short, it's not just for marketers anymore, says Peter Stephenson.

Antispam

Anti-malware management 2007 (Jul 10, 2007)

With little differentation in the catch rates of actual products, choices must be made by how well the management tools functin and their ease of use, says Peter Stephenson.

Anti-spam (2006) (Jan 1, 2006)

Spam is far more than an irritation, it is costing businesses serious money. If your ISP’s filters are not quite enough, there are now products out there that will put you back in control. Ian Parsons reports

Anti-spam, part I (2004) (Jun 1, 2004)

If your company is not using an anti-spam product yet, what are you waiting for? Jon Tullett and René Millman review some of the new products on offer

Anti-spam, part II (2004) (Jul 1, 2004)

It is possible that the amount of spam is decreasing but anti-spam technology is far from being obsolete. Jon Tullett provides you with essential reviews

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Antivirus

Anti-malware management 2007 (Jul 10, 2007)

With little differentation in the catch rates of actual products, choices must be made by how well the management tools functin and their ease of use, says Peter Stephenson.

Anti-virus (2003) (Jan 1, 2003)

Anti-virus solutions are a chief defense against all manner of malware. Our annual test puts 12 products through their paces to find the best protection.

Anti-virus (2004) (Jan 1, 2004)

Anti-virus solutions have had to earn their corn this year, but how many do what they should, and are some more efficient than others? By Jon Tullett

Anti-virus 2007 (Jun 14, 2007)

just because an anti-virus product catches viruses does not mean that it catches those of which you need to be aware, says Peter Stephenson.

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Email Content Management/Filtering

Email content filtering (2005) (Apr 12, 2005)

The vast quantity of email that flows through organizations is beginning to bog them down. One way out of this, says Ian Parsons, is to knock out junk and spam before it hits the desktop, using content filtering

Email content filtering (2006) (May 3, 2006)

Enterprises need to move fast to defend themselves against the growth of email-born threats and the suffocating weight of spam on corporate networks. Rob Jaques looks at how to clean up your email.

Email Content Filtering 2007 (Mar 1, 2007)

Today's email content filtering products sport a range of capabilities that make them an absolute must for enterprises of just about any size, reports Peter Stephenson.

Email filtering (2005) (Mar 7, 2005)

The battle against spam starts at the gateway to your business's network. Robert Jaques tests the latest technology that can catch it before it gets in

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Messaging Security, Email Encryption, Email Security, IM Security

Anti-spam (2006) (Jan 1, 2006)

Spam is far more than an irritation, it is costing businesses serious money. If your ISP’s filters are not quite enough, there are now products out there that will put you back in control. Ian Parsons reports

Email managed security services (2006) (Feb 1, 2006)

The first email security management firms offered straightforward services for overworked admins. But the market is changing and these services will need to change with the times. Jon Tullett reports.

Email security (2003) (Feb 1, 2003)

Email is today's essential business product. But making sure the wrong kind of emails cannot get in or out of our networks is a major issue. By Craig Hinton

Email security (2007) (Sep 1, 2007)

Encryption and disposal are key to keeping your messages safe, even if some vendors have other ideas. Peter Stephenson rounds up the enterprise solutions that met his criteria.

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Firewalls, IPsec VPNs

Enterprise firewalls (2005) (Jun 10, 2005)

Enterprises have particular needs when it comes to firewalls, which meant doing a group test just for larger organizations. Christopher Moody wades through the product jungle to find the best around

Firewalls (2003) (May 1, 2003)

Not having a properly installed firewall is equivalent to leaving all the windows and doors to your office wide open. Anyone can just walk in. By Craig Hinton

Firewalls (2004) (Jun 5, 2004)

Seeing a rainbow can evoke a feeling of placid contentment. Wouldn't it be nice if seeing your firewall evoked that same feeling? Ian Parsons gets you closer

Firewalls (2007) (Nov 1, 2007)

Thanks to technological advances and increased capabilities the lines between firewall and other anti-malware products is becoming increasingly blurred. Justin Peltier looks at a disappearing breed.

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Intrusion Detection Systems

IDS (2003) (Apr 1, 2003)

If a firewall is your first line of defense then an IDS should be your second. It's the burglar alarm of your vulnerability assessment tools. By Geoff Marshall

IDS/IPS 2007 (Aug 8, 2007)

There are fewer real IDS/IPS products in the market as functionality continues to move toward universal threat management, but there are still some very good products, says Peter Stephenson.

Intrusion Prevention Systems

IDS/IPS 2007 (Aug 8, 2007)

There are fewer real IDS/IPS products in the market as functionality continues to move toward universal threat management, but there are still some very good products, says Peter Stephenson.

Intrusion prevention (2003) (Jul 1, 2003)

Intrusion prevention (2004) (Jul 1, 2004)

Peter Stephenson defines intrusion prevention and explains the disappointing market, where some products went wrong and what features are really working

Intrusion prevention (2005) (Jun 29, 2005)

Catching malware and hackers means you need to do more than know what's going on – you need to act on that knowledge. Christopher Moody gets his hands dirty with a range of IPSs

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Network Security, End-point Security, DDoS, WAN/Internet Security

Endpoint security (2006) (Jun 7, 2006)

How can enterprises keep their endpoint computers secure when even the vendors can’t agree on what it means? Peter Stephenson used four key benchmarks to test six leading packages

Unified threat management 2007 (Jul 12, 2007)

The UTM group, with a lot of anti-malware functionality, is maturing rapidly and taking market share from multipurpose products, but there is good news and bad news, says Peter Stephenson

Unified Threat Management 2008 (Mar 1, 2008)

Unified threat management has come a long way since the cobbled-together devices of the early days. Economy, security and ease of use characterise today's offerings. Peter Stephenson reports

Remote Access

Remote access (2003) (Feb 1, 2003)

Effective security practices need to be in place to cope with the worldwide increase in teleworking.We look at some of the solutions. By Jayne Parkhouse

Remote administration tools (2005) (Mar 10, 2005)

Being in two places at once is what all grumpy users really want from their IT people. But it is possible, says Ian Parsons, with remote administration

Remote management (2004) (Mar 1, 2004)

Remote management may have you dreaming about the end of late-night treks to the office, but Ian Parsons shows how that is merely one of many benefits

Security Appliances

Appliances (2003) (Jun 1, 2003)

The growing trend of packing several security functions into one hardware box can solve problems of incompatibility and installation. By Geoff Marshall

Appliances (2004) (Nov 5, 2004)

An all-in-one security appliance might sound like the answer to every IT security professional's prayers, but do they really do the job? Robert Jaques finds out

Enterprise appliances (2005) (Nov 1, 2005)

With enough funds, most organizations would opt for single, top-of-the-range security tools to tackle each type of threat, but multi-purpose devices are now offering a real alternative, as Rob Jaques discovers

Extrusion Prevention (2007) (Nov 1, 2007)

Making sure that intellectual property and other sensitive corporate information does not leave the organisation is crucial. Peter Stephenson rounds up some very different approaches to the problem.

.. more group tests from this subcategory

SSL VPN

SSL VPNs (2004) (Oct 6, 2004)

Virtual private networks are trusted by online banks, so they should ensure safe remote access to your systems, too. Ian Parsons tries out the latest products

SSL VPNs (2005) (Sep 23, 2005)

Not long ago, these products were geared to extending specific applications to an enterprise's remote users. But Jon Tullett is pleasantly surprised at how vendors have rounded out their offerings

SSL VPNs (2007) (Oct 1, 2007)

Being almost immune to blocking has given these solutions the edge over their IPSec-based counterparts when it comes to providing secure access for remote workers. Justin Peltier reports

SSL VPNs 2006 (Oct 1, 2006)

Easy to deploy and simple to use, these browser-based virtual private networks are ideal to ensure a moderate level of security for a large or uncontrollable community of users. Peter Stephenson reports.

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Wireless Security

Wireless security (2004) (May 5, 2004)

Companies envisage "wireless" workers easily connecting to contribute, but Rob Jaques knows administrators need to turn dreams into a secure reality

Wireless security (2005) (May 9, 2005)

Rogue access points can blow your organization's security apart, but there are products out there that will not only find them out, but also offer integrated wireless management, says Peter Stephenson

Wireless security (2006) (Apr 1, 2006)

The benefits of using wireless networking are matched by an expanding range of threats. But for each one there is now a product that will protect your corporate systems. Christopher Moody reports

Wireless Security (2008) (Feb 1, 2008)

Vendors are using the growth of the WLAN market to push their wares. And the new 802.11n standard is likely to escalate the trend, despite potential legal problems. By Peter Stephenson

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Audit

Audit (2003) (Aug 1, 2003)

Keeping tabs on what hardware and software you have within your organization is more than just good practice, it can also save you money. By Rene Millman

Auditing tools (2004) (Aug 3, 2004)

Keeping track of what software is being used when and where is a laborious task. So Julian Ashbourn looks at products that help companies tackle it

Auditing tools (2005) (Jun 9, 2005)

Collecting information about your enterprise's hardware and software assets – and getting quality reports – is more important than ever before. Julian Ashbourn assesses some products that can help

Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, Data Recovery

Disaster recovery (2003) (Jun 1, 2003)

Establishing an effective plan to recover from an emergency is a better option than crossing your fingers and hoping everything will work. By Jayne Parkhouse

IT Forensics

Data forensics (2003) (Oct 1, 2003)

Part of your security package should include forensic testing, and the process is as important as the tools you use. Jon Tullett identifies the right approach

Forensic tools (2004) (Sep 1, 2004)

Catching the culprits of cybercrime is a complex issue, which is why Ian Parsons believes that forensic testing should be a key part of your security package

Forensic tools (2005) (Jul 21, 2005)

We all know the value of lightning-fast incident response. But as Jon Tullett reports, security teams must now not only detect and block attacks, but carefully gather and analyze potential prosecution evidence

Forensic tools 2006 (Jul 11, 2006)

Managing security incidents is essentially a problem of forensics. Peter Stephenson tests three broad groups of products that will enable organisations of all sizes to respond effectively to network attacks

.. more group tests from this subcategory

Managed Security Services (Monitoring, pentest, risk assess, etc)

Managed security services 2007 (Apr 1, 2007)

Depending on the needs and budget of your enterprise, there are alternative choices besides the big managed security services providers, says Justin Peltier.

Telcoms security (2003) (Oct 1, 2003)

The telcom security market is constantly changing as new developments make their debut in the marketplace. We look at some options. By Steve Gold

Patch/Configuration Management

Patch management (2004) (Jun 4, 2004)

An exposed cut takes longer to heal if you do not disinfect and protect it, and exposed machines are equally vulnerable. Eric Doyle reviews quality band-aids

Patch management (2005) (Apr 11, 2005)

Patching is a particular bane in admin and support lives, but there's no need for this to be the case any more. Modern patch management can take the weight off IT's shoulders, explains Robert Jaques