The NetVanta from ADTRAN offers some nice functionality in a small package. This little device provides full unified threat management functionality for small to medium branch offices, and features include gateway-based anti-virus, firewall, SSL and IPsec VPN, web content filtering and application control. This product also features a similar packet inspection engine that is found on SonicWALL appliances which works at the application layer to scan all files in real time to block possible hidden threats before they can enter the enterprise environment. Additionally, this product also includes built-in Wi-Fi to ensure protection of wirelessly connected devices.
The process for setting up and configuring the appliance is straightforward with the initial configuration being driven by an easy-to-follow configuration wizard. When the appliance is connected to the network, the wizard can be accessed from a web browser and takes just a few minutes to complete. At the completion of the wizard, the appliance network settings are configured and the rest of the configuration is done using the intuitive web-based management interface. The interface itself is organized very much like a SonicWALL interface as the NetVanta is driven by SonicWALL software. While we found the interface to be reasonably simple to get around, we did find ourselves having to click around a bit to get a good feel for where to find various settings.
As for policy configuration, this product offers a lot in terms of flexibility. The firewall comes with a few base policies already configured. These rules can be changed, or custom rules can be easily created to meet the needs of the environment. Firewall rules also can be configured to include web and application filtering rules, as well as intrusion prevention rules. These can be configured separately and then added onto the firewall rule with a simple click.
Documentation provided with this product only included a getting-started guide. This provides all the steps necessary to get the product connected to the network with a base configuration. We find this document to provide clear step-by-step instructions along with many screen shots, diagrams and configuration examples. While this guide provides a good overview of the product features, we find it to be a little too basic as a primary piece of documentation. We were unable to find any other pieces of documentation for the appliance, such as an administrator guide or full user manual.
ADTRAN offers the first year of software and hardware support as part of the initial purchase price of the product. After the first year, customers can purchase additional support as part of an ongoing support contract. Customers with support contracts can get access to phone- and email-based technical support along with product updates and firmware upgrades. Customers also have access to various hardware maintenance and installation services through the ADTRAN Custom Extended Service program. Some of these offerings include on-site and remote installation services and next-business-day equipment replacement.
At a price of $1,255 for the hardware and the first year of protection services, we find this product to be a solid value for the money. The NetVanta provides a lot of flexible configuration options, along with many protection options at a reasonable price. - MS
The process for setting up and configuring the appliance is straightforward with the initial configuration being driven by an easy-to-follow configuration wizard. When the appliance is connected to the network, the wizard can be accessed from a web browser and takes just a few minutes to complete. At the completion of the wizard, the appliance network settings are configured and the rest of the configuration is done using the intuitive web-based management interface. The interface itself is organized very much like a SonicWALL interface as the NetVanta is driven by SonicWALL software. While we found the interface to be reasonably simple to get around, we did find ourselves having to click around a bit to get a good feel for where to find various settings.
As for policy configuration, this product offers a lot in terms of flexibility. The firewall comes with a few base policies already configured. These rules can be changed, or custom rules can be easily created to meet the needs of the environment. Firewall rules also can be configured to include web and application filtering rules, as well as intrusion prevention rules. These can be configured separately and then added onto the firewall rule with a simple click.
Documentation provided with this product only included a getting-started guide. This provides all the steps necessary to get the product connected to the network with a base configuration. We find this document to provide clear step-by-step instructions along with many screen shots, diagrams and configuration examples. While this guide provides a good overview of the product features, we find it to be a little too basic as a primary piece of documentation. We were unable to find any other pieces of documentation for the appliance, such as an administrator guide or full user manual.
ADTRAN offers the first year of software and hardware support as part of the initial purchase price of the product. After the first year, customers can purchase additional support as part of an ongoing support contract. Customers with support contracts can get access to phone- and email-based technical support along with product updates and firmware upgrades. Customers also have access to various hardware maintenance and installation services through the ADTRAN Custom Extended Service program. Some of these offerings include on-site and remote installation services and next-business-day equipment replacement.
At a price of $1,255 for the hardware and the first year of protection services, we find this product to be a solid value for the money. The NetVanta provides a lot of flexible configuration options, along with many protection options at a reasonable price. - MS
