Couple of hours ago, after a two and a half month wait, I finally received the GateKeeper Card Pro from Yoggie.
Some of you may have heard about it when Engadget mentioned it on April 23rd. That's actually the first time I found out about it - and the good guys from Yoggie promised they'll ship one out for a review as soon as they have them available. I must mention - they've been more than kind ;)
For those who do not know what it is: GateKeeper Card Pro is a Linux-based Mini-Computer integrated onto an Express Card. This little computer is a hardware-based security appliance in charge of your laptop's security from the moment it is plugged in.
It comes with Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, Anti-Spyware, Firewall, Intrusion Prevention, Anti-Phishing, Web Filtering / Parental Control, Transparent Email and Web Proxies, even a VPN Client, and more!
You might ask yourself WHY in the world you need this - when you can simply install all of these applications onto your computer and have it take care of itself?
There are many answers but one I like the best is - less bloating for your machine! All that software takes valuable resources from your laptop which could be used for giving you more performance.
This is the main reason why corporations do not use software-based firewalls and security systems, but rather, hardware devices which offer physical separation from network. This is exactly how the GateKeeper Card works.
Before any data is accepted for processing by [your] computer’s operating system, a low-level driver redirects it to the Gatekeeper Card Pro unit where a full security check is performed. Security breach attempts are identified and thwarted, and only safe, secure data is passed back to the computer.
GateKeeper simply sits between your network connection and your computer and intercepts all the data coming through - in either direction. It gets installed into your Network Adapter configuration right next to the "Client for Microsoft Networks" and "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks", as "Yoggie Personal Security Appliance" (see the picture in gallery).
If files are downloaded or there are any in the emails you receive - GateKeeper even scans them for viruses.
The only issue I found with it is that only files up to 10MB are scanned. You can set up GateKeeper not to allow downloads of any files larger than 10MB (which not many of us will agree with), but to remedy the issue - Yoggie includes a 1 Year subscription to one of the best Anti-Virus applications out there: Kaspersky (a $59.95 value).
Surely, one may argue what's the point in buying the card if you still have to have an AntiVirus software installed? Don't forget - GateKeeper Card Pro is NOT just an AntiVirus tool - there are 12 other functions it does as well. Also, since GateKeeper is made to intercept the data on the network - it is always a smart idea to have at least an AntiVirus installed, so if any of the files which are already ON your computer contain viruses you can be safe. Don't forget Yoggie provides you with the AntiVirus Software so there's no need for extra spending ;)
Gatekeeper Card Pro includes a web-based management console which provides status information, security logs, and reports and can be used to configure device settings, network settings and security policy.
One of the functions which I like a lot is VPN Client. It's simply ingenious. Instead of having my computer always dial a VPN connection back to my home, the GateKeeper Card is doing it for me - when ever it is available or when I tell it to.
All in all, GateKeeper Card Pro is definitely a welcome little add-on to my Windows-based laptop. My Software Firewall is off, I have no need for Spyware or Malware programs intercepting every single site I go to, no Security Pop-ups to bother me, and best of all - I do not need to worry if everything is up to date: GateKeeper Card Pro updates itself on regular basis with latest security definitions from Yoggie.
Here's what you need to know (FAQ if you will):
- When you pull out the card from your computer - all Network Traffic Stops. This is a security measure to keep you safe. You can, however, temporarily disable the card from the little icon in the Task Bar.
- This card is for Windows based machines ONLY! Sincerely, those are the only machines which really NEED this kind of protection. Linux is solid as a rock, and MacOS X is based on it too - so it only leaves Microsoft to be taken care of ;)
- It can be set up in 2 flavors - Independent mode, or Corporate mode. As you may guess, there is a way for Corporations to Remotely manage multiple GateKeeper Cards, and by that, security settings of the company employees' laptops. I bet this is a lot easier than managing software on all these laptops.
- Since this is a "mini-computer" you may wonder, what Hardware does this Linux based card run on.
- CPU: Freescale i.MX31
- RAM: 128MB DDR
- Storage on: Flash Memory Chip
- Here's the look of the hardware inside
- You can buy it @ http://www.yoggie.com/gatekeeper-card-pro. It's priced at $199, but if you like cool gadgets, and wish to offload your computer and your mind from worrying about security - it's not too much to pay.
Most of us have an empty Express Card slot anyways - I am extremely happy to see it used ;)
You may note that the web management website is at yoggie.com:8443 - but that's just so it looks pretty in the address bar. An entry is added into Windows' Hosts file to redirect the pretty address straight to the GateKeeper Card Pro's internal IP address (see image in gallery).
If you want to know EVERYTHING this card can do, please check out:
 | Gatekeeper Card Pro User Guide | 1.70 MB |  |  |
| Gatekeeper Card Pro Quick Start | 2.08 MB | | |
Sincerely, I'd love to see someone hack up an Apache Web Server with MYSQL database onto this thing. It has a lot of potential and it seems the hardware is adequate ;) For the time being, GateKeeper Card Pro is doing it's thing without issues.
Some of the pictures are located below but if you want to see all of them (including the web management interface) check out my Flickr Set at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peconi/sets/72157606243031357/show/
