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Large organizations concerned about security should consider following the Department of Justice's example and try the Senforce Endpoint Security Suite (ESS). The latest release, version 3.1, contains improvements that make it significantly easier to set up and manage.

ESS has already gained a strong following by offering an integrated security solution that covers a broad range of threats, yet remains easy to administer. ESS's coverage breaks down into five categories: firewall protection, VPN enforcement, WiFi control, theft protection, and endpoint integrity.

The firewall offers port blocking at the NDIS layer and application inspection at the TDI layer, yet will be transparent to your end users. The VPN enforcement requires the use of a VPN before remote workers can gain access to the network, while the WiFi or connectivity control lets you easily set rules for wireless connections and distributes keys automatically.

Theft protection controls the permissions of mobile devices such as notebooks and flash drives, limiting them to read-only status or completely disallowing transfers, so that they can't do damage if stolen. It can also create an audit trail, so you can see what was transferred. Finally, endpoint integrity automatically verifies that security software is in place on mobile devices, even when they're not connected to the network.

ESS's central management console offers an easy one-stop place to control all of your security concerns, since you use the same console to create rules for all of the various areas. Granular control lets you set rules based on device or user, so that every connection has the security you want.

While this is an incremental upgrade, it's one that will be welcomed by newcomers. The suite is now easier to install and configure, since it can seek out information about your network and your existing systems by itself, which means the administrator has to input less data. That will make the suite easier to manage and easier to expand when rolling-out into new areas.

ESS is the main product from Senforce Technologies, Inc., a five-year-old company based just outside Salt Lake City, Utah. While the company has fewer than 50 employees, its security system is used by some of the world's most demanding customers.

Chief among those is the U.S. Department of Justice. Senforce began working with a sub-group within the organization years ago, and that grew to a contract with the full department and all of its member organizations, including the FBI and the DEA. The company also services the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Pricing for ESS starts at $69 per seat, although there are volume discounts for larger purchases. There are no additional start-up costs for organizations buying more than 250 seats, although smaller companies will need to pay a $5,000 installation fee. Most enterprises that buy ESS also opt for the maintenance contract, which costs 20 percent of the license price and guarantees the user access to technical support and any upgrades. The suite is simple enough for most IT users to download and install themselves, although Senforce can provide on-site assistance, if needed.

The Senforce Enpoint Security Suite's management console.

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