Network Guardian is an independent software appliance that incorporates SmoothWall's exclusively dynamic and intelligent approach to web content filtering alongside anti-spyware, anti-virus and browser exploit prevention.

		Web Content Filtering With today's web consisting of tens of billions of pages, intelligent content analysis is the only reliable way to protect against the unexpected. Guardian's Dynamic Content Analysis™ technology examines not just the content but the context and construction of every web page requested. In this way, all undesirable material (including anonymous proxy sites) can be accurately detected and blocked.
		Employee Productivity Chatting to friends? Booking a vacation? Browsing eBay? Guardian ensures that employees use their time productively by controlling access to non work-related sites, such as news, sport, travel and auctions. Obviously many organizations allow their employees reasonable access to such sites, where Guardian's time-based policies can permit access to non work-related categories at break times and outside of core working hours.
		Web Security and Anti-Virus Protect against web-borne spyware, viruses and browser exploits. Due to better email security, attackers are increasingly turning to the web as the most effective way of delivering malware. Hacking a blog or other poorly protected website to introduce JavaScript, Applets or ActiveX controls is a common technique. Every unprotected visitor to the site will be infected with their spyware, viruses or Trojans. Guardian is the solution - anti-virus scanning all downloads and blocking potentially malicious code except from a list of trusted sites.
		Instant Messaging Control the use of Instant Messaging applications such as MSN, AOL and ICQ. As a fast and often more efficient alternative to email, instant messaging use is growing every day. However, when unmonitored it can encourage misuse, time-wasting and expose organizations to significant legal risks. Guardian incorporates tools to help managers block, monitor, log or censor IM conversations, so that misuse can be minimized and its advantages can be more easily evaluated.
		Reporting Monitor Internet behavior and resource utilization. A comprehensive selection of in-built reports includes most visited sites, user activity, attempted access to blocked pages, bandwidth utilization and performance. Managers can use the new template facility to create, store and schedule their own customized reports in PDF, HTML and Excel formats, or export to Crystal Reports®. A powerful drill-down facility allows summary report information to be explored down to the underlying data.
		User Authentication Determine filtering policies and provide user level reporting. Of Guardian's many user authentication systems, NTLM is the most popular because it transparently passes the users' Windows login information to Guardian. Subsequent interrogation of a Microsoft Active Directory®, Novell eDirectory™, LDAP or RADIUS authentication system establishes the user identity, whereupon Guardian maps their group membership to the appropriate content filtering policies.