Content

Open Space Security

The Kaspersky Open Space Security suite has many of the features necessary for good network protection. The suite includes protection on both the email and web levels. Open Space Security integrates virus, spam and spyware protection and distributes protection policies throughout the environment via a management console. The management console itself sits on top of a database server, such as MSDE, and integrates into Microsoft Active Directory for use with Group Policy Objects. Updates to the virus list are provided hourly, while other lists are updated more frequently if necessary. Emergency alerts may be more frequent.

A strong point of this product is its ease of use. Installation of the administration kit was simple and straightforward. Installation is guided by many wizards and has clear explanations of options and available features. When installation is complete, the update wizard helps get the definitions up-to-date quickly and easily. However, working inside the management console itself can be a tricky task. We found that navigating the console was confusing, and deploying agents were not clear.

Open Space Security is flexible and can be deployed across a network and all platforms. This provides one central point for efficient management of all malware threats. While this product is quite flexible, it is a little tricky to use.

Documentation is extensive. The deployment guide is a 90-plus page PDF that is not fully linked. This makes finding information awkward. The documentation describes deployment in detail and gives implementation options. The Kaspersky model allows multiple types of deployment, such as centralized or local.

Support is typical of expectations in the anti-malware community where threats can change from moment to moment. Interestingly, support at this level in other disciplines, IDS/IPS for example, would be considered exceptional.

Kaspersky’s pricing is reasonable for an enterprise product of this kind. Pricing is based on the number of end-user seats and includes the cost of the administration kit. Because Kaspersky products extend anti-malware protection beyond the typical desktop to other platforms, this product is a good value.

Product title
Open Space Security
Product info
Name: Open Space Security Description: Price: starting at $15.70 per node with administration kit
Strength
High amount of protection at a good price.
Weakness
Difficult to manage and deploy agents.
Verdict
Typical of what one would expect from Kaspersky, this product is competent and solid.

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