When NetPilot was introduced to the market many years ago, it took the industry by storm. It offered complete functionality and virtually plug & play installation in a small box. While such products are now fairly common, the NetPilot family have stayed ahead of the game, and its latest product NetPilot Plus is just as impressive.

Plugging the gap between   NetPilot and the heavy duty NetPilot Enterprise, NetPilot Plus is aimed at  branch offices with a need for secure communication as well as controlled general Internet connectivity. But it offers the same multi-functional: within its elegant and well-built casing, it can be a firewall, a mail server, and, most relevantly, a VPN gateway.

It would be shocking if it had abandoned its tradition of simple installation, and thankfully that is not the case. Its browser-based configuration option means that the NetPilot Plus can be set up and running in minutes, and automatic configuration wizards then ensure that all connected PC's are correctly configured. The built in firewall is one of the most powerful, boasting Checkmark certification and configuration is very straightforward.

The IPsec-compliant VPN (also Checkmark-accredited) is mainly aimed at branch to branch communication. Encryption is provided by triple-DES, and setting up a VPN tunnel between two remote NetPilots is probably as simple as it gets. It isn't that much more difficult for remote users to gain access to the branch network either, as VPN client software is provided with the appliance (three copies per devise).

There are a number of additional features available which can transform the NetPilot Plus into a fully fledged security appliance. Email anti-virus protection can be provided by Sophos, while N2H2's boundary filtering application can limit access to particular URLs on a user or group level

One criticism in the past was the quality of documentation. Thankfully, this is no longer a problem, with a veritable library of manuals covering every aspect of installation and maintenance. However the documentation is not specifically targeted at the NetPilot Plus, so the panel diagrams are not specific to this model, but that is hardly a problem, given that the underlying functionality is the same.

Once again, NetPilot has come up with the goods. For branch offices requiring a one-stop-shop for Internet, security and communication, the integrated functionality of the NetPilot Plus is ideal.