Marshal’s WebMarshal product is an all-inclusive web content filter and anti-malware product. This product is deployed as a web proxy server and will filter all traffic of the enterprise, both incoming and outgoing. WebMarshal works with third-party virus engines — such as McAfee, Norman, Panda, Sophos and Symantec — which we found a plus. Spyware protection is provided by CounterSpy or PestPatrol. Adding some of these scanners into WebMarshal provides significant flexibility and protection.
From installation through set-up and configuration, this product is simple to use. Installation wizards that guide set-up and deployment are helpful and set-up options are easy to understand. Once WebMarshal is deployed and the third-party scanners are installed, integrating all the parts only requires a couple of mouse clicks. The management console itself is intuitive and easy to navigate and offers excellent flexibility and policy control.
We found this product to be a well-rounded malware management tool for web traffic. It provides several options for keeping viruses and spyware from getting into the environment. Since it is deployed as a web proxy, it is able to catch problems before they enter the environment and cause an outbreak or other potential damage. However, this tool only deals with HTTP, HTTPS traffic and passive FTP traffic. As a result, it leaves other resources, such as mail and FTP, vulnerable.
Documentation for this product is a lengthy PDF user guide. The guide covers everything from installation and deployment to configuring and managing the product. We found it to be easy to read and well-organized.
Marshal provides support plan options at two levels. While it does provide anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-phishing, it focuses only on HTTP, HTTPS and passive FTP traffic, which leaves holes that will be filled by a re-architected WebMarshal scheduled for Q3.
WebMarshal is of average value as a full malware management tool because its primary focus is on web filtering. While it does provide anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-phishing, it focuses only on HTTP traffic, which leaves holes that need to be filled with other products. We find that if a web filter is what you are looking for, this is a great product. However, it falls short as a full malware management tool.
