Filtering routers are often proposed as adequate firewall (network security) devices; however, they have inherent weaknesses which make them more vulnerable than the comprehensive, dedicated Eagle. Routers are unable to detect suspicious activity; to communicate via fax or pager, or to discriminate between modes of file transfer. They have no failsafe mechanism if someone breaks through, and they have limited speed, since the vendor - not the customer - chooses the cpu. All these features are included in the Eagle. Secondly, routers have limited logging capability which makes it difficult to detect trends in system use which may indicate suspicious activity. The Eagle has comprehensive logging capabilities. Finally, since they are diskless, routers store control information in their own local memory. Permission changes must either be done manually (a practice which is tedious and error-prone) or by remote access (which can be exploited as a network security hole). The Eagle suffers none of these shortcomings. We designed it from the outset to be unbreachable from the outside world.
There are several local area network security devices on the market today. Most require smart card technology, encryption or both. There are few wide area network security devices available, and all of them require that you own, maintain, and control the physical media you use for communication. If you use a common carrier such as a telephone company leased line for your inter-site communication, you are vulnerable to other parties using the carrier service. The Eagle uses a consistent, rational approach that permits secure communication across hostile territory regardless of physical transport.