Introducing GFI LanGuard 12 – now with a web-based reporting console

Today GFI Software released a new version of GFI LanGuard which is powered by a new web console which takes the product to a whole new level by providing centralized reporting across multiple GFI LanGuard instances. For this release, TalkTechToMe is catching up with Ian Bugeja, Director of Product Management, to explain in further detail about the new features of GFI LanGuard 12.

TTTM: What’s exciting for businesses in this release?

Ian: After collecting customer feedback, we noticed that many of our customers were looking for a way to access GFI LanGuard’s full potential across their vast network of devices within their organization. With the previous versions there were some limitations when organisations had a large number of devices spread across multiple locations or when having a large IT department, all of which required access to the same GFI LanGuard server.

We wanted to make this possible with GFI LanGuard 12 and this challenge was addressed via two main features. The first is the ability to deploy multiple GFI LanGuard sites in the different locations and then aggregate the data into one view from the management server. This, in turn, exposes the second huge feature we are launching, that is, the brand new web console.

The new web console is a modern user interface for GFI LanGuard which is supported by all of the major browsers, and also boasts several practical features such as multiple users access and role based permissions.

TTTM: Why is this new web console so important for businesses who are spread across multiple locations?

Ian: This web console has been designed to show data across multiple sites. We know that due to globalization a lot of organizations have offices in different geographical locations and these offices are typically joined together via virtual networks. IT personnel in the different locations want to manage and secure the office locations and make sure that these are protected against vulnerabilities and fully patched with the latest software patches.

In our previous versions of GFI LanGuard all of this was possible however we lacked the functionality to aggregate the view of different locations into one console or else to aggregate them into a single report which management would require. All of this is now possible with the Central Management Server.

TTTM: Can you tell us something about the improved scalability?

Ian: A good chunk of effort in this release was to continue scaling the product. We have done improvements and the desktop console is now snappier. The multi-site deployment enables the central console to better scale with a maximum of 60,000 nodes enabling larger businesses to achieve all of the benefits that GFI LanGuard has to offer.

To achieve this, one of the necessary steps was to optimize the database to reduce its size and make it more efficient. In the process we had to drop support for Microsoft Access and now this is only available for legacy purposes on upgrade only. For larger customers we suggest to use Microsoft SQL Server or Express depending on the size and utilize fast disks such as SSDs. This combination allows for the UI to be faster and snappier as well as for the reports to generate faster.

TTTM: Can you give us a little exclusive and tell us what the Product team is working on for the next GFI LanGuard release?

Ian: In the immediate months we will be making a few more tweaks to the web management console and include support for different languages. With regards the longer term, we will be adding more functionality to the web console giving users total control of their GFI LanGuard install through the web interface.

We also have a dedicated team working on the content updates for GFI LanGuard. Such work is an ongoing task giving us the ability to deliver weekly updates to the thousands of agents we have deployed. Updates never stop and we are always on the lookout for newer software versions, software patches as well as the vulnerabilities that are discovered in the wild.

GFI LanGuard 12 will help you scan your network for vulnerabilities and take the headache out of patch management. If you would like to test drive the new GFI LanGuard’s features which include; a new web-based reporting interface, centralized reporting, improved scalability, users roles and permissions and concurrent access, you can click here for a free 30-day trial.