Content

Ally ip100

We were amazed at whatthis little product coulddo and how strong itwas. When it first arrived, we didnot believe that this little piece ofplastic could bea functional IPS.We were wrong.

This device isfully functionaland loaded withfeatures. It incorporates blacklistand whitelist technology that canbe manually configured.

If the device sees a threat, itautomatically blacklists the IP thethreat came from and blocks itfrom the network. It also hasmany finetuning capabilities withcustomisable filtering options,TCP, UDP, and DNS policies, aswell as notification options.

The tool (it’s hard to think of itas an appliance) is very easy to useand deploy. It sits on the networkbetween the internet and a switch,hub, firewall, or router and isconnected by just plugging it in.

After it is plugged in and turnedon, the web interface can beaccessed from anywhere on thenetwork using Internet Explorer.The web interface is extremelyclean and organised with clearinstructions on the right side ofthe screen at all times to answerany question about configurationor feature functions.

The Ally ip100 performed wayabove our expectations. We werenot able to penetrate either thetest network or the device itself.After each test, we would removeour IPs from the blacklist, only tofind ourselves blacklisted again onthe next attack. This device hasmany reporting features, includinglogs, blacklist and whitelist informationand network statistics.

The Ally ip100 has a one-pagequickstart and setup guide thatcomes with it. It illustrates thesimple deployment and configurationfor the product in very clearsteps, both with bullet points andillustrations.

Once the product is deployed,the web interface includesexplanations of all configurationson the right side of the screen.

There is also more in-depthdocumentation on the product’swebsite, including more advancedconfiguration.

Support for this product isavailable by telephone or email.There is also a support FAQ onthe product’s website.

At around $900, this product isa great buy for small to mediumsizedcompanies or even personalnetworks. It is simple to deployand configure and requires verylittle administration, which addsto its value. Add in its excellentperformance, and the Ally ip100is our Best Buy for small systems.

Product title
Ally ip100
Product info
Name: Ally ip100 Description: Price: $895
Strength
Small, but strong and easy to deploy.
Weakness
Not as flexible as its larger counterparts.
Verdict
Astonishing performance from such a tiny product.

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