Current Filter: Network>>>>>>

   

WatchGuard already offers an extensive range of network security appliances which can be monitored using their Log & Report Server component running on a Windows host system. Dimension moves this forward as it is deployed as a VMware or Hyper-V virtual machine.

Another key feature of Dimension is to collect, analyse and present security information from appliances within 15 minutes of receipt. There are no limitations regarding the number of WatchGuard appliances that Dimension can monitor, and it represents great value as it's provided as a free VMware template. Using a Dell PowerEdge R820 server running VMware ESX Server 5.0, we had no problems deploying the OVA file. The tidy Dimension web interface opens with a quick start wizard that runs through securing administrative access, assigning an IP address and providing a key for securely encrypting stored log files.

For testing, we used a WatchGuard XTM-26W and pointed its Log Server address at the VM running Dimension. With that quickly done, Dimension automatically discovered all appliances and added them to the console. We found the Dimension web console really intuitive with all information highly accessible, starting with the home page which lists all monitored appliances along with their operational status and firmware version.

By selecting an appliance you are taken to the Executive Dashboard, which provides a wealth of data about user activity. It displays the top Active Directory users, the most accessed domains, URL categories and destinations, plus details of the top applications and protocols. Selecting a dashboard item means that you can drill down for a deeper insight and selecting applications shows who is accessing them; for users you can review their browsing activity.

The Security Dashboard sets out essential information about clients, web sites and protocols being blocked. It also keeps you posted on IPS activity so that you can see at a glance what the latest detected threats are. The Threat Map provides a global map showing the regions where inbound Internet traffic originates from. Each one is colour coded to indicate the amount of traffic and you can select any region to view more detailed information. Dimension gathers in-depth details about each region and this allows you to see which city the traffic is coming in from. Clicking on the city's associated IP address loads a Google Map of the area along with details of the threats emanating from it.

Possibly the most impressive feature of Dimension is FireWatch and this presents an easily interpreted overview of all appliance activity. Helpfully, instead of graphs and charts, FireWatch employs coloured squares the size of which indicates the level of activity. It also provides options for monitoring sources, destinations, domains, applications, the WebBlocker service and protocols. We found the innovative FireWatch design to be extremely useful, making it simple to see exactly who is using what Internet bandwidth.

Reporting facilities have been improved greatly over those offered by the Log & Report Server. Dimension allows reports to be generated about any specific area of activity and they can be scheduled to run at regular intervals. Report files can be exported to a range of formats including PDF and XLS and also emailed to a recipient list.

WatchGuard's new Dimension reporting tool will be warmly welcomed by users of the Log & Report Server and those new to WatchGuard will be singularly impressed. Dimension gathers a lot of useful information from WatchGuard security appliances and presents it all in an innovatively designed console. This undoubtedly increases the overall effectiveness of any WatchGuard deployment.

Product: Dimension
Supplier: WatchGuard Technologies
Tel: 01737 735 019
Price: Free download
Web site: www.watchguard.com