Zenworks Endpoint Security Management 3.5 is targeted to protect against lost or stolen equipment, third parties or outsourcers, malicious insiders, hacked systems and malicious code. Zenworks provides personal firewall, wireless security, encryption, port security, application control, posture and integrity integration, client policy enforcement and device control - all with centralised policy management, monitoring reporting and alerting.
The application required the .Net framework, SQL server and IIS to be loaded. The application did take some time to load all of its components, but it was a smooth process. We loaded Zenworks on our Windows 2003 server. It supports both Active Directory and eDirectory integration and we integrated it with our test Active Directory. The management interface was easy to use. The client deployments used Windows, an msi file build and Active Directory to distribute the clients.
With other solutions we have seen a focus on one or two of the endpoint categories. Zenworks provides a true cross-section of services across the entire endpoint spectrum. The breadth of the offering is impressive.
At the network level, Zenworks provides a personal firewall. It does not provide anti-virus or anti-spyware but it does police these products for compliance with centralised policy. It will also police OS patches for compliance. It did police communications for devices such as LAN, WiFi, Bluetooth, firewire and infrared and provides encryption for the drive and removable media. The port management is also supported for USB, CD and DVD devices, with whitelist options for approved devices.
Reporting on policy effectiveness and status is available on the dashboard. Customised alerting is also tunable through the dashboard.
The documentation was good, although not detailed enough for more complicated deployments. Numerous support options are available for an additional fee. The base support includes 24/7 access to knowledgebase, patches and support forums.
Zenworks is a very nice solution if you are looking for a good across-the-board offering with reporting and alerting, at a reasonable price.