Barracuda Web Security Flex

Barracuda Networks Web Security Flex

Revolutionary Cloud-Based Web Security Offering

Phishing, malicious Javascript, worms, and other Web-based threats make Web security today's must-address issue. In the past, protecting Web users against malware and enforcing Web usage policies inside the corporate perimeter as well as protecting users outside the perimeter at remote offices and with mobile laptops meant deploying separate technologies for each user class. Deploying mixed technologies often results in coverage gaps and difficult administration and reporting as well as other problems.

Barracuda Web Security Flex is a revolutionary offering that lets network professionals focus on the Web security they need instead of specific technologies. Barracuda Web Security Flexdelivers advanced cloud-based malware protection, URL filtering and application control with the flexible deployment options needed to cover all users in unique enterprise environments regardless of location and mobility status - under a cloud portal for centralized management and reporting.

Advanced Malware Protection and Content Filtering

Barracuda Web Security Flex delivers state-of-the-art Web protection and filtering:

• Anti-virus signatures that update continuously for fast response to new and known threats
• Advanced heuristics block unknown Web viruses and spyware
• AJAX-aware analysis detects malicious Web apps and script-based attacks
• HTTP behavior analysis and intrusion detection block botnet communication, spyware and rogue anti-virus
• Advanced Anti-Spam Intelligence protects against blended email and Web threats
• Web filtering and application control for Web apps like IM, VoIP, P2P file sharing and streaming media
• Advanced policy management for Web filtering like file and content type control, data leak prevention and restrictions on bandwidth and time

Flexible Deployment Options

Barracuda Web Security Flex offers four deployment options to ensure total coverage. For corporate and branch office deployments inside the firewall, gateway appliances - hardware or virtual - integrate with enterprise directory services, like Active Directory, to control user and group-based policies. A pure SaaS Web security service provides malware protection and Web filtering without directory service integration for main offices, remote offices and home-based users. Software agents extend malware protection and Web filtering to mobile users' laptops. Barracuda Web Security Agents now integrate with Windows PCs and Macs. Administrators can select any combination of deployment options to satisfy their exact Web security needs.

Centralized Administration, Management and Monitoring

With Barracuda Web Security Flex, administration is amazingly simple; set up a rule through the cloud portal and Barracuda Web Security Flex automatically adds the rule to SaaS, appliances and software agent deployments. The dashboard gives administrators a quick snapshot of aggregated traffic across all deployments. Administrators can also drill down through multiple levels of increasingly granular data for all locations and deployment options. Barracuda Web Security Flex unifies all management and reporting functions across all locations, user classes, and deployment options for superior ease of use.

Driving Out Deployment Risk

Barracuda Web Security Flex's economics are based on the number of users protected independent of the specifics of the deployment. Even when additional gateway hardware is required for deployment, costs involve a simple one-time setup fee. There are no additional recurring charges for the maintenance of that hardware. There are no additional software license fees for agents. When needs change, you can easily add or remove deployed components. Barracuda Web Security Flex pricing effectively ends acquisition risks.

Features:

Administrators must protect users against today's aggressive Web-based malware and control how users interact with the Web in the workplace to avoid liability. The distributed and mobile nature of today's organizations makes it hard to provide malware protection and enforce usage policies for all users. Barracuda Web Security Flex leverages cloud technology to provide advanced Web protection and policy enforcement through flexible deployment options that let you custom tailor coverage for all of your users regardless of their location or mobility.

Virus and Malware Protection

• Anti-virus signatures that update continuously for fast response to new and known threats
• Advanced heuristics block unknown Web viruses and spyware
• AJAX-aware analysis detects malicious Web apps and script-based attacks
• HTTP behavior analysis and intrusion detection block botnet communication, spyware and rogue anti-virus
• Advanced Anti-Spam Intelligence protects against blended email and Web threats
• Advanced policy management for Web filtering like file and content type control, data leak prevention and restrictions on bandwidth and time.

URL and Content Filtering

• Real-time page content analysis and reputation scoring
• Filters Web pages in sixty-seven categories organized into seven supercategories
• Whitelist and blacklist by domain
• File type/extension and Web content type filtering

Application Control

• Control and reporting of over fifty Web-based applications
• Communications and instant messaging clients
• Peer-to-peer and file-sharing software
• Streaming media
• Controls multiple browsers

Deployment Options

• Cloud Security Service - direct proxy or transparent forwarding
• Web Security Gateway - hardware or virtual appliances for policy enforcement on site, local caching, directory integration
• Web Security Agent - tamper-resistant client software enforces user and group policies through the Cloud Security Service. Silent install for enterprise deployments. Barracuda Web Security Agents integrate with Windows PCs and Mac computers that run OS X 10.5 or 10.6.

Centralized Policy Management

• Rules created in the central management portal automatically propagate to all deployment options
• Rules apply globally or to users, groups or IP addresses
• Complex rules combine multiple restriction and exception types
• User-controlled rule execution order
• Customizable block pages and alerts
• Blocking override by password
• Coaching, or soft-blocking, to warn users
• Establish usage thresholds by schedule, bandwidth, requests or browsing time

Centralized Reporting And Monitoring

• Comprehensive Web-based reporting across the entire organization through cloud service, gateway (virtual appliances and hardware appliances) and software agent deployment options
• Graphical dashboard summary
• Customizable summary and detailed reports
• Immediate interactive reports or scheduled delivery
• User-based browsing time reports
• Real-time, interactive forensics log reporting
• Exportable to PDF, XML or CSV
• Drill-down reporting navigates to levels of increasingly granular detail

Deployment

Easy and flexible deployment is a principle strength of Barracuda Web Security Flex. Recognizing that networks are all different, it is painful and expensive to modify an existing network topology to accommodate a security solution. The Flex is designed to fit any deployment scenario for any organization of any size. The deployment options range from simply pointing your browsers to the cloud-based service, or to the onsite appliances that are deeply integrated into your directory services and software agents to filter laptops. All the deployment choices can be centrally managed and monitored through a simple cloud-based interface.

Direct to Service

The simplest way to use Barracuda Web Security Flex is to directly proxy your Web traffic to the cloud-based content filtering and malware protection service. This can be done with browser proxy settings or by transparently forwarding traffic from any network firewall or proxy that supports forwarding to an upstream proxy.

Web Security Gateway

The Barracuda Web Security Gateway is an on-premises solution that, integrates with your directory service for group-based policies and caches static Web content locally to save bandwidth. The gateway can be configured either to provide local security and policy enforcement or forward traffic to the cloud-based Web filtering service. Gateway appliances are managed and configured through the cloud-based central management and reporting interface. The Barracuda Web Security Gateway is available as a hardware appliance or as a virtual appliance.

Web Security Agent

The Barracuda Web Security Agent protects remote and roaming users by enforcing all Web traffic from laptops through the cloud-based content filtering and malware protection service. The Barracuda Web Security Agent is a lightweight, tamper-proof client available for Microsoft Windows and Mac laptops and desktops.

Flexible Deployment

Barracuda Web Security Flex allows the flexibility to combine deployment options to suit the specific need of each location. The cloud-based central management and reporting interface makes it easy to specify a uniform Web usage policy and monitor Web access across all the users.

Screenshots:

The following screenshots illustrate the graphical user interface of the Barracuda Web Security Flex Service.

Barracuda Web Filter FAQ:

• What is Barracuda Web Security Flex?
• How do I deploy Barracuda Web Security Flex?
• Does Barracuda Web Security Flex protect remote users and mobile workers?
• What is the role of Barracuda Web Security Gateway appliances?
• How do I create a Web usage policy that is enforced across all locations and users?
• How does Barracuda Web Security Flex block Web sites?
• What types of policies does Barracuda Web Security Flex provide?
• Can I create user and group specific policies?
• How do I generate consolidated reports across multiple users and locations?
• Can I start with cloud based filtering and then add gateway appliances later?
• What is Spyware?
• Should I deploy desktop anti-spyware tools even if I have Barracuda Web Security Flex?
• How can I get an online demonstration?
• What do I do if I have more questions?

What is Barracuda Web Security Flex?

Barracuda Web Security Flex is a revolutionary cloud-based platform that lets network professionals think first about their malware protection and filtering needs and second about technology. Barracuda Web Security Flex delivers state-of-the-art malware and filtering protection through SaaS, appliances (real and virtual), and agent-based deployment options for comprehensive coverage of users regardless of location or use of mobile laptops. Barracuda Web Security Flex provides a cloud-based portal for centralized management and monitoring across all deployment options for superior ease of use.

How do I deploy Barracuda Web Security Flex?

This productoffers maximum deployment flexibility:

• Cloud filtering: The easiest way to use Barracuda Web Security Flex is to directly proxy your Web traffic to the cloud-based content filtering and malware protection service. Administrators can do this with browser proxy settings or by transparently forwarding traffic from any network firewall or proxy that supports forwarding to an upstream proxy.
• Web Security Gateway: The Barracuda Web Security Gateway is an on-premises appliance that integrates with your directory service to implement group-based policies. The gateway appliance caches static Web content locally to save bandwidth.  It also enforces security policies locally on your network. The Barracuda Web Security Gateway is available as a hardware appliance or as a virtual appliance. Administrators centrally manage and report across gateway appliances through the cloud-based portal.
• Web Security Agent: The Barracuda Web Security Agent is a lightweight, tamper-proof software client. The Web Security Agent protects remote and roaming users by enforcing all Web traffic from laptops and desktops through the cloud-based filtering service.

All these deployment options are centrally administered and monitored through a simple and elegant cloud-based portal for management and reporting.

Does Barracuda Web Security Flex protect remote users and mobile workers?

Yes. We designedBarracuda Web Security Flex to extend Web protection beyond the corporate network to remote locations and mobile users. Thisproductleverages the simplicity and reach of cloud-based Web filtering to provide Web security to any number of users and locations. Also, you can deploy the Barracuda Web Security Agent, which is a tamper-proof client that can be installed on laptops and desktops. The agent controls Web access through the service to ensure policy enforcement and filtering of malicious content.

What is the role of Barracuda Web Security Gateway appliances?

Barracuda Web Security Flex’s power lies in its ability to unify multiple deployment methods under a single management and reporting framework. While the service provides comprehensive cloud-based Web security, customers can choose to install gateway appliances on-premises for integration with directory services, local policy enforcement and caching without redirecting Web traffic through the cloud. Administrators typically use Gateway appliances to protect medium to large corporate networks. Administrators manage gateway appliances and report on the Web traffic flowing through the appliances using the central, cloud-based management portal.

How do I create a Web usage policy that is enforced across all locations and users?

Administrators use Barracuda Web Security Flex’s cloud-based interface to configure policies across all users, locations and deployment methods. For example, you can deploy gateway appliances at your headquarters and branch offices, use SaaS to proxy traffic directly to the cloud from your satellite locations and use the Web Security Agent to protect your mobile users. To enforce a single policy across users in all these locations, simply log into the central management portal and configure a rule. Barracuda Web Security Flex automatically enforces the rule across all users regardless of where they browse the Web. This provides best-of-breed protection across the organization without the burden of managing multiple, solutions.

How does Barracuda Web Security Flex block Web sites?

Barracuda Web Security Flex blocks sixty-seven categories and seven super-categories of Web sites. Barracuda Networks updates these categories regularly. These categories cover Web sites known to include spyware, pornography, and other prohibited materials. The service also performs real-time page content analysis and reputation scoring to accurately determine what is happening on a page at an exact moment. This is increasingly important as a growing number of legitimate Web sites are being compromised with malicious content. Administrators can configure URL access policies through the central management portal and enforce the policies either in the cloud filtering service or gateway appliances.

What types of policies does Barracuda Web Security Flex provide?

This product provides comprehensive URL filtering and application control for various Web-based applications like IM, VoIP, P2P file sharing and streaming media. Barracuda Web Security Flex provides further control through advanced policy management features like file and content type control, data leak prevention and bandwidth and time restrictions.

Can I create user and group specific policies?

Yes. Barracuda Web Security Flex lets administrators customize policies for specific users, groups, and IP address ranges in the organization. Administrators also can establish usage thresholds by schedule, bandwidth, requests or browsing time.

Examples of custom policies:

• Restricting access to job-board Web sites to only the human resources group
• Defining separate policies for teachers and students at a school
• Enabling compliance officers unrestricted access to the Web for investigation
• Providing external instant messaging (e.g., AIM) access only to specific users or groups
• Restricting personal Web browsing to non-working hours

Through gateway appliances, Barracuda Web Security Flex can tightly integrate with on-network directory services to enforce user and group-based policies. Web security agents can identify user login credentials and communicate to the cloud-based service when redirecting Web access through the filtering service.

How do I generate consolidated reports across multiple users and locations?

Flex provides a single cloud-based portal which administrators use to configure Web usage rules, monitor Internet access and generate reports across all office locations and users. Gateway appliances and Web Security agents are fully integrated into the central reporting framework. From a dashboard, administrators can get a quick snapshot of aggregated traffic across the organization and then drill down into multiple levels of increasingly granular data. Also, administrators can generate detailed reports on all aspects of Internet usage in real-time and schedule them for automatic deliver.

Can I start with cloud based filtering and then add gateway appliances later?

Yes. Barracuda Web Security Flex is all about flexibility. Customers are not tied to any single deployment scheme or infrastructure. You can start with the cloud-based filtering framework, and then add gateway appliances or Web security agents as needed with no significant cost or deployment overhead. Barracuda Web Security Flex provides you with a future-proofed solution with minimum risk.

What is Spyware?

Barracuda Networks broadly defines spyware as any software installed on your computer that either delivers or communicates information outside your computer without your knowledge or intention. Spyware poses tremendous security threats to organizations including intellectual property theft, productivity loss and privacy invasion.

Should I deploy desktop anti-spyware tools even if I have Barracuda Web Security Flex?

Barracuda Web Security Flex is an effective cloud-based gateway solution that acts as a primary line of defense against Web-borne threats. However, it is prudent to layer security solutions as spyware can also infiltrate desktops through USB keys, CD-ROMs, or floppy discs.

How can I get an online demonstration?

Please contact us!

What do I do if I have more questions?

Please contact us!

Documentation:

Download the Barracuda Networks Web Security Flex Data Sheet (.PDF)