Topic: Barracuda vs SME as SPAM firewall

[edb]

I'm looking for opinions on how others see the SPAM/Virus filtering capabilities of SME7x vs a dedicated device such as a Barracuda SPAM/Virus firewall.

I'm not that familiar with how many defense layers the SME server provides against SPAM but the Barracuda supports 12 layers.

I'm not promoting anything here at all but I'm just wanting to know other experiences prior to spending about $3000.00 on the Barracuda device when SME server may already do everything that the Barracuda does.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

edb

[BartManInNZ]

I have been running SME server since v6 as an anti-spam/virus gateway to Exchange Server. For the past 6 months we have been using a Barracuda and apart from the enhanced logging and reporting of the Barracuda I can say they both do the same job.

HTH,
Bart

[edb]

Thanks for the reply Bart ... that's what I was kinda hoping the answer would be.
Doesn't make much sense for me to get a Barracuda if it basically does the same job as the SME server is already doing.

Thanks for confirming that ...

[dmay]

I'm looking for opinions on how others see the SPAM/Virus filtering capabilities of SME7x vs a dedicated device such as a Barracuda SPAM/Virus firewall.

That's like comparing apples and papayas. You really can't compare the two as they are so totally different in their roles. One is a multifunction open-source unsupported Linux server software. The other is a dedicated single-purpose Enterprise capable commercially supported appliance.

Darrell

[edb]

I'm looking for opinions on how others see the SPAM/Virus filtering capabilities of SME7x vs a dedicated device such as a Barracuda SPAM/Virus firewall.

That's like comparing apples and papayas. You really can't compare the two as they are so totally different in their roles. One is a multifunction open-source unsupported Linux server software. The other is a dedicated single-purpose Enterprise capable commercially supported appliance.

Darrell

 You may be right Darrell ... and that was the purpose of the question, however, Bart seems to think that there isn't much difference.

Here is the dilemma ... if I were to use the single purpose Barracuda box as my SPAM filtering device then I would need to disable all of the services on my SME box to avoid compatibility issues, but if there is not much to gain from switching to the Barracuda then why would I do that.

So, even though you are right to a degree in stating that it is like comparing apples & papayas there is a certain amount of practicality that comes into play as well.

I'm running SME6x right now with Spamassassin and RBL lists ... but I understand that some have even managed to get fuzzy ocr working for image scanning as well at least on SME7x. These are the biggest features of the Barracuda though as you stated the commercial support of the Barracuda makes it somewhat more reliable.

I want to keep SME as my primary mail server and webserver but just want to determine any advantages of a particular configuration when it comes to SPAM filtering.

[dmay]

if I were to use the single purpose Barracuda box as my SPAM filtering device then I would need to disable all of the services on my SME

You do not need to disable any services. If you wanted to you could but even then you only need to visit one server-manager panel to disable Virus scanning & Spam filtering. Not an issue.

With the Barracuda server, you truly get what you pay for. A very superb commercially supported dedicated appliance with an award winning track record. But don't take my word for it, request an eval unit and take one for a test drive. IMO (your opinion may vary) it is far superior then a stock SME Server. It just has to match your needs to warrant the expense.

A less expensive option may be to consider enhancing SME Server with any decent commercial antivirus/antispam product of your choice. Alternately there are many external mail filtering service providers that offer antivirus/antispam services.

The bottom line is to match your goals, risk and budget together. I have clients were SME meets all the above and I have clients where SME does not meet all the above. Each situation is unique.

Darrell

[edb]

Thanks very much for your reply Darrell ... just what I was looking for.

This may sound stupid but we just became a Barracuda reseller a week ago but I wanted to see what others thought of the device before I started pushing them to our corporate customers. Besides, I also want to incorporate one in our own corporate network as well and I'm not on a budget restriction.

I just like to get other opinions before moving ahead on something and I want to feel confident in the product as well.

The few comments here alone have helped me to see that if your budget allows then the Barracuda is a fine addition as a dedicated SPAM device.
Your statement with regard to "you get what you pay for" rings very true and the very reason why I choose to be a reseller.

We also sell Sonicwall firewalls and I use the product on our own network as well so the Barracuda will be another nice addition to the line-up.

Thanks again

[idyll]

We recently converted our corporate site to an Ironport firewall. We previously used a Barracuda for over three years.

The differences are profound, though I have no specific criticism of Barracuda - other than totally hoarking the system twice with bad firmware updates. They quickly fixed the issues in each instance, but it's worth noting.

One compelling difference with the Ironport is the lack of capital outlay - you lease the service and they provide the box. This is very easy to sell internally.

Performance comparison? The Ironport is far, far more sophisticated and granular. Like way far more. It may be overkill, as they target the Fortune 500, but the lack of capital outlay and the extreme filtering capability made it a no-brainer for our 125 person company. They use their own protocols to gather profiles, etc and act like an ultra efficient Pyzor source without relying upon unsupported and overwhelmed servers

regards,

patrick

[CharlieBrady]

With the Barracuda server, you truly get what you pay for.

And, in fact, a lot that you (and Barracuda) don't pay for (Barracuda make heavy use of open source and community resources).

See this for an alternative viewpoint on Barracuda:

http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=549352&cid=23368882

[mercyh]

I know you specifically asked about Barracuda, but..........

Has anyone here ever evaluated a Deep Six device?

http://www.preemptivedevices.com/home.htm

(I am not affiliated)