ViewPoint, a network behavior analysis tool from SonicWall, was a reader favorite, with high marks in ease of use and logging functionality, snaring it our Product Leadership bronze award. The Web-based reporting tool provides a variety of graphical displays portraying the history of possible attacks and usage patterns on the network.

Readers appreciated these features -- 61% rated it good or excellent at effective log management, while half of respondents gave it good or excellent ratings for ease of management.

Lower scores in detecting malware and other network problems kept ViewPoint from this year's top tier, however. Only 50% of users gave it high marks for its ability to find network problems, which is one of the biggest factors enterprises consider when deciding which appliance to purchase.