The appliances also feature a dial-up backup--to an external modem connected via the included serial port--to keep the business on the Internet if the primary broadband pipe goes down. The more expensive 360 and 360R models sport a pair of WAN ports, each of which can be connected to a different broadband service. If one service goes dark, the other automatically kicks in; if both are operating, the two are combined to double throughput.
An optional add-on, priced at around $200, turns any of the appliances in the new series into a wireless (802.11b/g) access port.
One way that Symantec's cut costs to make the 300 line fit small-businesses budgets is to off-load the actual antivirus defense to existing versions of its own Norton line of antivirus client software. Rather than pack the appliance with thousands of virus signatures--which would raise the price--or cut back on the number of virus and worm threats recognized, the appliance merely acts as a policy manager for the business's desktops.
The appliance's administrator uses a Web-based management console to set antivirus policies--the minimum interval between checks for signature updates, for instance--and then the gateway uses that template to check the status of the client systems and automatically update them, or alert the administrator that an employee's PC is non-compliant.
Symantec's new appliances come with 90 days of free telephone support--with an option to extend it to a year for under $150--and support an unlimited number of users; there's no licensing restriction to a set number of seats. The 320 targets shops with 50 or fewer users, while the 360 and 360R are aimed at businesses with up to 75 systems.
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