This mail gateway provides anti-spam and anti-virus services. Aimed at the medium sized enterprise, it offers a comprehensive range of mail filtering options in a 1U height rack-mountable chassis. It lacks a redundant power supply, but has eight Ethernet ports, although only two are used at the moment.
The front panel includes an LCD and a four-button control cluster that can be used to configure the unit's network addresses and operating modes. This is very useful, and simplifies installation considerably.
The documentation is comprehensive, but the information on the various configuration options could be better organized with more detailed examples.
The device can also operate as a mail server in its own right, although the version we looked at indicated that this feature was still under development. The system offers several configuration options, being capable of operating either behind or in front of a firewall, or in a DMZ.
The FortiMail 400 provides a comprehensive feature set, and the administration interface is simple to use, and very similar to that used on the company's firewall products. This standard approach simplifies the administrator's task and allows for common standards to be applied throughout an organization, something that is more difficult if a range of devices and systems are used for the same purpose.
The system provides rule-based and Bayesian content filtering, DCC (Distributed Checksum Clearinghouse) links, RBL (Real-time Blackhole List) links, and blacklisting and whitelisting options. There are logging and archiving facilities and options.
The system can categorize problematic emails by transferring them to one of three folders. Mail that cannot be sent out straight away is held in a deferred queue, while mail that has still not been sent within five days is categorized as "failed" and sent to a separate folder for examination.
The ominously named "dead" folder contains messages that cannot be delivered. This is where to look for indications of any directory harvesting attacks.
Fortinet claims a maximum throughput of 77,000 emails per hour, which should be more than adequate for its target market's needs.
