We weren't impressed with the reporting facilities as these are minimal. The only time EPB logs an attempt to access a blocked web site, device or application is if the user requests access to it from the client's pop up warning window and if not then nothing is reported.
G Data advised us it chose this method due to the regulations imposed in Germany. However, we would want to see what internet resources users are accessing during working hours and those who are persistently trying to use removable media.
Commtouch didn't disappoint during our anti-spam tests with it delivering a near clean sheet. We asked for suspect and confirmed spam to have their subject lines tagged and left our clients downloading live email from multiple accounts for a few days.
At the end of the test we saw Commtouch catch all spam with very few genuine messages being erroneously classed as suspect. The only black mark is EPB provides no reporting on spam activity whatsoever and if you want this you'll have to get the Enterprise version which includes G Data's MailSecurity product.
For the price, EndpointProtection Business offers a good range of security measures. G Data has some high profile names providing the main functions which performed extremely well but look elsewhere if you want detailed reporting on all user activities.
Verdict
G Data delivers highly cost effective endpoint protection with a class act on its guest list. Anti-spam, web filtering and anti-virus measures perform very well and the product is easy to deploy and manage but the minimal reporting is a big weakness.
Requirements Server: Windows XP upwards; Client agent: Windows 2000 upwards.
