FOR
Easy to use, with an impressively rugged build, usability, functionality and security are all to the fore.
AGAINST
None.
VERDICT
Every bit as impressive as its bigger brothers in the CyberGuard range, the LX is an ideal solution for home office and small office use, as well as providing additional protection at the enterprise level.

Until recently, the only people who really needed to concern themselves with firewalls were network administrators responsible for small to medium businesses. Many of these only thought to worry about these pieces of equipment after clearing up after a network breach, or if the powers-that-be realised that the information stored on the network or the cost of downtime merited the expense of purchase, installation and maintenance. Given that some analysts believe that up to 80 per cent of the total cost of security ownership can be attributed to ongoing support, this was a cost that many IT directors declined to approve.

However, increasing awareness of the true cost of security breaches, coupled with the ongoing process of education from both vendors and magazines, have finally managed to persuade the majority of directors and administrators that the cost of prevention is far less than the cost of the cure. Along with the increasing complexity of networks and the exponential rise in the inherent value of the data stored on the network, this has made a firewall a necessity rather than a luxury.

Firewalls are often the province of the network rather than the desktop; most desktop users don’t even think about them. However, with the increasing distribution of data throughout the corporate LAN, this means that many desktop machines now contain data that was once the province of the server – valuable data. Add to that the rising number of remote workers, and the need for desktop protection has never been greater. Yet many vendors do not consider the desktop to be a cost-effective market, possibly because of the need to offer them at a competitive price, possibly because of the lack of ongoing support licensing. This frequently means that even if they do offer a desktop solution, it lacks the features – and, frighteningly, the security, of its bigger brothers.

This is not an argument supported by firewall vendor CyberGuard. For the last few years, the company has achieved a name for itself with a range of high-end appliances. These have a proven track record of extremely high reliability and many consider them to be virtually hack-proof. Until now, they have been the province of the ISP, bank or data centre – with a price tag to match. But CyberGuard has now addressed the gap in the small business market with its CyberGuard LX Premium Appliance.

The first thing that is apparent about the LX is its build quality. Whereas many desktop firewalls lack the ruggedness of the network versions, the LX is every bit as solid as CyberGuard’s STARLord (SL), KnightSTAR (KS) and FireSTAR (FS) high-enders, even though it is only 10" deep and 3.5" high. Thought has also been put into the design; although the brightly coloured box may be considered gaudy by the more staid network administrator, it is certainly eye-catching and will liven up most desktops. It also comes with an unlimited licence, making it extremely cost-effective for small businesses. In addition, it is also the first desktop-specific firewall to achieve EAL4 certification, a fact that CyberGuard is justifiably proud of.

Installation is as simple as the other CyberGuard products. Once again, ease of use has been a priority and the GUI is a joy to use. CyberGuard claims that it can be up and running within half an hour, and that was almost spot-on when we installed it.

The LX uses exactly the same software as the other CyberGuard products, running on a B2-hardened OS; reassuring to know that corners have not been cut and functionality has not been sacrificed. Indeed, it supports up to 100,000 simultaneous connections – more than enough for most desktop users. The use of the same software means that the appliance offers all of the major proxies, as well as many of the lesser ones. Furthermore, the SmartProxy facility allows users to define a granular degree of control over services. Anti-virus support is provided by means of CVP compliance.

The LX also comes with built-in VPN support as standard. The range of certificates on offer is impressive: IPsec, IKE and X.509 for starters. It also offers a number of cryptographic algorithms, such as AES and triple-DES. This functionality really comes into its own when the LX is to be used by remote users.

Just in case network administrators are getting jittery about having another firewall on the network, the LX is fully compliant with CyberGuard’s other firewalls. This allows the administrator to create multiple levels of network protection, fine-tuning the need for support. The LX can also be remotely managed centrally, cutting back on administration costs even further.

The range of documentation provided with all of the CyberGuard products is truly impressive. As well as three extensive PDF manuals covering every aspect of installation, configuration and maintenance, there is a veritable library of additional publications and URLs from both CyberGuard and third parties, both vendors and the various organisations dedicated to security standards. Indeed, it reads like a list of the great and the good in the security market! The CyberGuard manuals themselves are very easy to follow, written in a simple yet comprehensive, step-by-step way.

Too many vendors have effectively ignored the needs of the desktop user, considering the value of data and the cost of attack to be outweighed by the cost of a decent, sturdy firewall. Thankfully this is not the attitude of CyberGuard, and its desktop appliance features all of the strengths of the company’s high-end, industrial-strength firewalls. If you are looking for watertight desktop/departmental security, you won’t go far wrong with the CyberGuard LX.
 

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