While the Proventia Desktop system is designed specifically to protect endpoints from malicious content, it also has a built-in IPS feature that will monitor for attack behaviour from either inside or outside.
This product maintains application control, but the main focus is on applications that access the internet, rather than having up-to-date versions and patches on client-loaded software. ISS’s “Virtual Patch” technology addresses this separately.
Proventia will also monitor and protect network machines from viruses or spyware. It is part of the larger Proventia product line.
This program is simple to install and easy to configure. The desktop agents are installed on each network computer and can be managed either individually or with a central management console.
Proventia Desktop features clear menus and an intuitive application interface, but it is almost too minimalist in some cases, to the extent that flexibility in configuration capabilities might be compromised.
Proventia Desktop performed as advertised. We were able to block malicious content from being downloaded onto our test machine as well as block possible attack traffic. We were also able to disable certain applications from connecting to the network and disallow certain file types from being saved.
Documentation for this product can be found on the ISS website. The drawback to this is that it was a little more difficult to find documentation on this site rather than on the CD itself or on paper manuals. However, the manuals for this product are laid out in an organised and clear fashion, complete with charts and diagrams.
ISS features a complete online support area with 24x7 phone support and a knowledge base. The company also offers a premium support package that includes features such as online support and incident tracking.
We thought that Proventia Desktop was at the highest end of the price spectrum.
