RE: Gauntlet post acquisition

["Waszak, Tom" <Tom.Waszak () connect xerox com>]

I would be hesitant to recommend any product that NAI has gotten their hands
on.  Not necessarily from a technical stand point, but from a sales and
support stand point.  McAfee has paid many $ to former clients for false
claims made by their sales staff about ZAC.  I suspect that this would also
be true for other products.   Another consideration is the wonderful habit
NAI has had for gutting development and support staff.   I also understand
that Bill Larson (NAI CEO) has a penchant for buying technology rather than
developing it.   As for where NAI may be going with Gauntlet? I haven't the
foggiest idea other than what I said about Bill Larsen.  As for technical
support:  I could not comment on Gauntlet support specifically, but for
other NAI products, it has been lacking to say the least.  However, their
consultants (after you pay about $7000) have been very candid, frank and
upstanding.  They spend a lot of their time cleaning up the messes the sales
and support staff make. 

As for recommendations, let me just suggest that you wait and see what NAI
does with/to Gauntlet.  With luck they won't gut them.

NT vs Unix:  there are some options out there that use Unix but with a GUI,
perhaps you should consider these?  I'd suggest looking at Secure
Computing's Secure Zone or Axent Technologies Raptor 5.0 (it comes in either
NT or Unix flavors)

Regards,

Thomas Waszak
Xerox Connect

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Ferguson, Linwood [SMTP:ferguson () mag aramark com]
        Sent:   Sunday, June 28, 1998 23:44
        To:     'firewall-wizards () nfr net'
        Subject:        Gauntlet post acquisition

        I've used Gauntlet on BSD for quite some time.  I recently changed 
        jobs, need a new firewall.  NAI is offering to cut me decent deal on

        Gauntlet and some other software combined.

        After some lousy support (primarily sales/admin) I had pretty much 
        decided not to buy Gauntlet again, but given the acquisition and the

        fact that I'm familiar with it and generally like it, I'm hesitant
to 
        just forget about it.  And I already know it does everything I need 
        quite well.

        Now, in the NAI world....

        Is Gauntlet still considered decent from a technical standpoint?

        Anyone offer any insight into where NAI may be going with it?  Does
it 
        have a future?

        How competent is NAI's technical support?  Did the TIS support group

        stay around?

        And I've a mild preference for NT instead of BSD (we have no unix on

        site, lots of NT), any insight on how well TIS/NAI has done in
getting 
        it stable and secure on NT?

        Linwood Ferguson
        Chas. Levy Company