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Designed to combat malware threats and zero-day exploits, it uses Barracuda's clever cloud-based sandbox technology to safely execute and analyse files to ensure they're safe.

ATD allows network administrators to enforce policy-based security for file usage across the enterprise. PDFs, Office files and archives - the NG Firewall can control them all, and automatically quarantines infected users to prevent malware outbreaks. There's more, because Barracuda addresses the BYOD trend by beefing up mobile device security. Also implemented through policies, administrators can control access to corporate data from mobile devices including Apple and Android.

The F380 reviewed here is new to the NG Firewall family and it bridges the gap between the F300 and F400 models. This compact 1U rack appliance boasts eight Gigabit ports and offers a high firewall throughput of 3.8Gbps and 1.1Gbps for IPS.

The initial lab deployment was undemanding as the F380 can function as a transparent bridge for evaluation purposes. Appliances are managed individually using Barracuda's NG Admin client, or collectively from its NG Control Center which can scale from hundreds to thousands of gateways. The NG Admin client offers a wizard on first contact and this set up our transparent bridging. From here on in it gets a lot tougher as the sheer range of security measures and their configuration does take some time to get to grips with.

The NG Client has a substantially redesigned interface with a smart dashboard showing all the action in real-time. The Firewall tab reveals the top allowed and blocked applications, as well as the latest threats; a vector chart shows the geo-locations they emanate from.

Inbound and outbound traffic is controlled using firewall rules but Barracuda goes way beyond this basic premise. Two configuration menus are presented and we could use either the Simple version to access commonly used features, or drill down deeper using the Full interface.

Firewall rules comprise sources, destinations, services and action policies, and within the rules we could enable application controls, URL filtering, SSL interception and ATD. For URL filtering, Barracuda's cloud service offers nearly 100 categories that can be blocked or allowed. Rules can also be used to control specific applications and you can define your own or choose from the thousands provided. Facebook alone has twelve options for controlling logins and allows or denies access to chat, file transfer, video calls, posts and more.

Anti-virus settings are applied to all policies and you can choose from the Avira and ClamAV scanning engines. Global ATD policies are configured from here as well and we could determine whether files such as Office documents, PDFs and ZIP archives should be uploaded to the cloud and scanned first, or delivered and then scanned. Mobile users will approve of the slick new SSL VPN portal which supports all common iOS, Android and Blackberry devices. They can choose between local or domain authentication and the portal presents clear icons for easy access to approved web resources and apps.

We found the level of reporting to be impressive with real-time views of live traffic clearly showing its source. The drill-down views show even more detail about detected apps, protocols, visited web sites, their geolocation along with a risk assessment for each type.

The NG Firewall F380 delivers affordable enterprise-level network security to mid-sized businesses. This sophisticated next-generation firewall provides a remarkable level of control over web apps, mobile device access (making it even more secure), and the new ATD feature strengthens its resolve against the latest, growing malware threats.

Product: NG Firewall F380
Supplier: Barracuda Networks
Tel: 01256 300 100
Web site: www.barracuda.com
Price: Starts from £2,899 excluding VAT