A10 NETWORKS IDSENTRIE 1000

Product Details

This Product Review is in the following Category:
Authentication, Access Control, ID Management

This Product Review is in the following Sub-category:
Identity Management, Authentication Platforms, Directory services

	Version:
	Vendor:	A10 Networks
	Price:	£11,995
	Date:	1-Jan-08
	Author:	Peter Stephenson

clear float

The IDsentrie identity management appliance brings together several forms of secure user management in one device. This appliance focuses on two main areas of identity management, the first being network authentication. The device provides a way to not only manage wired authentication, but wireless network access as well.

The most interesting feature is the ability for a client to be authenticated before receiving a DHCP-assigned address. This ensures that no machine gets on the network without a properly authenticated user. This appliance can also resolve IP addresses to user ID, allowing for a much more efficient way of finding and fixing security issues on the network.

We found this product to be fairly simple to use. The initial setup takes just a few seconds and is done through a command-line interface. Once the admin password is changed and the IP address set, the remaining setup is done through the web-based GUI. This GUI is a little overwhelming at first and takes a few minutes of clicking around to get a good feeling for what is where. But once you are familiar with the layout, it’s simple enough to add devices, set up features and integrate the appliance into the existing network.

With the ability to integrate itself with almost any database, including existing Radius, Active Directory and SQL servers, this product can make managing user identities across the network much more efficient. It provides central account management with all LDAP servers in the environment and simplifies provisioning and password policy.

IDsentrie 1000 also supports user self management for problems such as password reset and account unlock, which lightens the load for IT staff.

Documentation comes in the form of a CD containing several PDF manuals. All the manuals are organised and hyperlinked on a single front page. Some of the documents include an installation and setup guide, CLI users manual, and a GUI user manual. All were easy to follow and well illustrated.

Support is offered in several levels. All support programs offer technical help by phone, email and web. The support area of the website includes access to downloads of updates and a technical library.

At a price of just under £12,000 we find this product to provide excellent value for money. IDsentrie’s ability to integrate with many devices and streamline user identity management alone is worth the cost of the appliance.

clear float