Clear Choice Tests

Recent tests

Best of the Tests
The best networking products as chosen by our editors and reviewers over 2004.

Symantec slows spam at the edge
04/11/05
Symantec's new Mail Security 8100 Series appliance offers a twist on spam management. It limits the amount of network bandwidth spam can consume. In our exclusive Clear Choice test of the Mail Security 8160, we found that when the bits start flying it ...

SonicWall's PRO 1260 Enhanced offers flexibility at the low end
04/04/05
SonicWall's new PRO 1260 Enhanced gear combines the brains of its popular TZ-series firewalls with the body of a 25-port managed 10/100M bit/sec switch.

VoIP analysis tools
03/28/05
In this Clear Choice Test, we evaluated a burgeoning class of new products, collectively called VoIP analysis tools. These wares help the VoIP network manager proactively monitor and troubleshoot the IP telephony environment to ensure call continuity.

10 ways to stop spyware
03/28/05
Spyware cleaners fall short; follow these steps to stamp out spyware for good.

Netgear extends wireless reach with power-line technology.
03/28/05
If you want to extend the wireless range of an existing Netgear-based network, this package might be worth a look. But if you want to integrate this with other equipment, pass on this and look instead for other ways to boost or extend the range.

Strong wireless security for the SOHO network
03/28/05
LucidLink makes it easy to shut out unwelcome guests.

SimpleShare NAS just misses the mark
03/28/05
Lack of back-up software and high price hurts new network storage entry.

Should IE stay or should IE go?
03/21/05
Microsoft's dominant browser is being challenged by open source upstart Mozilla Firefox, but in our testing neither browser scores a knockout punch.

Juniper scores with WLAN protector
03/07/05
In our exclusive Network World Clear Choice Test, we found the NetScreen-5GT Wireless to be a clean melding of a trusted, full-featured firewall to a secure wireless access point.

Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005
03/07/05
In our Clear Choice Test, Virtual Server 2005 proved itself well worth the money because it lets you run multiple instances of Windows on the same machine.

Solaris 10 heads for Linux territory
02/28/05
We found that Solaris 10 has been torn from its SPARC-only roots now runs very quickly and very easily on generic 32-bit x86 Intel- and 64-bit Advanced Micro Devices-based servers. It also has new security features and supports a range of Linux ...

Wavelink Mobile Manager Enterprise
02/21/05
Save time (and headaches) managing your wireless LAN infrastructure.

Morae: Usability testing for the masses
02/07/05
TechSmith's recently upgraded Morae software might provide the combination of features and affordability to bring collaborative user experience testing to a much wider audience.

Red Hat's new Linux package boasts power and security
02/07/05
We found huge performance gains over previous editions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, beefed up security options and vastly improved hardware detection mechanisms.

Network-intrusion detection systems
01/31/05
The Stealthwatch M250 Version 4.2 we tested - which veers from popular signature-based IDS products with a behavior-based approach to spotting intruders called anomaly detection - can indeed spot attacks, but its overall package could use a bit more ...

Microsoft Operations Manager 2005
01/24/05
Got a Windows Server problem? Just ask MOM to help.

Vulnerability alerting services
01/24/05
Vulnerability alerting services free up expensive IT security staff.

Microsoft's WUS delivers on patch promises
01/17/05
Free software lacks features but could do the trick for cost-conscious companies.

Voice over Wireless LAN
01/10/05
Aruba is the top dog if you want to add voice traffic to an enterprise wireless LAN.

Top spam fighters offer feature diversity
12/20/04
For the top of the heap of spam products, it's not what is good or bad that sets them apart. It's more a matter of what's different.

Spam in the Wild, The Sequel
12/20/04
How big can a test get? We found out with our latest in-depth look at the anti-spam industry. Spam is still a huge problem, and there is an equally large market opportunity to fix it.

Novell Linux Desktop
12/13/04
Is NLD ready for the corporate desktop? Our answer is a qualified yes. Handling routine office chores using Open Office for word processing, Evolution for e-mail and Firefox for Web browsing works great. However, connecting to Windows networks still ...

Test: Enterprise-level anti-spyware software
12/13/04
We tested Webroot Software's Spy Sweeper Enterprise Version 1.5, InterMute's SpySubtract Pro Version 2.5, Tech Assist's Omniquad AntiSpy Enterprise Edition Version 4.0 and PepiMK Software's SpyBot - Search & Destroy Version 1.3.

Novell serves up an operating system winner with SLES 9
12/06/04
Our tests of Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise Server Version 9 - we tested revision 9.1 of the server software - show it to be polished, faster and supporting a wider breadth of applications than previous versions we've tested.

Juniper's NetScreen Secure Meeting appliance
12/06/04
We found Juniper's NetScreen Secure Meeting appliance (SM-3000) makes both performance and economic sense for midsize to large firms looking to add Web conferencing abilities.

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Network World Lab Alliance

Network World Lab Alliance members have years of experience reviewing networking products and work to construct real-world test beds for the products they test. Look for the Lab Alliance logo on reviews, or get more information on our Lab Alliance reviewers.