INTERNET/INTRANET IPX/IP Gateways: Instant Internet I f your organization isn't already connected, and the thought of rolling out IP makes you cringe, then the Internet-access solution you seek could be an IPX/IP gateway. Bay Networks' Instant Internet, a Well-Connected winner, goes unchallenged in this arena, offering network administrators a highly polished and successful combination of features. Instant Internet consistently hits its mark. With it, you not only avoid IP-related headaches, but you also can monitor the gateway load, restrict access based on service or site address and log all activity as well. Add to that the fact Instant Internet is Novell Directory Service (NDS)-aware, and yo u've got an impressive feature set. For the network manager who doesn't have time to waste fooling around with complex setups, Instant Internet's ease of use is a huge plus. Within 15 minutes of opening the box, we were playing with access permissions and restrictions. Instant Internet's configuration flexibility is notew orthy. It can access the Internet via dial-up ISDN or Ethernet. Load-balancing units is not a problem. Since Instant Internet is a dedicated unit, you don't have to worry about its impact on the performance of other applications--it serves one purpose alone, and it serves that purpose extremely well. Instant Internet excels in reliability as well. Very rarely can you introduce a service without worrying about its effect on your network, but with Instant Internet, you can stick it in the closet and forget about it. Instant Internet , $2,495, Bay Networks, (800) 8-BAYNET, www.baynetworks.com Honorable Mentions: Iware Connect , $39.95, Quarterdeck Corp., (800) 354-3222, www.quarterdeck.com Cisco IPeXchange Internet Gateway , $595 to $6,995, Cisco Systems, (800) 326-1941, www.cisco.com Awards Table of Contents

Updated April 24, 1997