I would like to start this blog with a post on one of the greatest pieces of equipment I have had the pleasure to manage - the Barracuda Web Filter.
Before purchasing this piece of equipment, the only way I had of managing users and groups and the sites they were allowed on was either by much configuration of some open source software on a separate box, or using a software proxy (which is what I was doing). Don't get me wrong, there are many, many ways to go about managing content on your network, but nothing seemed very easy and I just didn't want to have to spend a whole lot of management time on it.
Then came the Barracuda! This device was so easily configurable, it came with a single page instruction manual! Simple install and integration with Active Directory through LDAP made this such a breeze to get up and running and all I had to do was take the network down for 5 minutes to get it installed completely.
If you are looking for a content filter and a way to track and manage users and groups by category, keyword or bandwidth, this is the only way to go. At $2500 plus yearly update subscription, it's not cheap, but it's done right. And when it comes down to it, that's what really matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment