By David Creamer

FontAgent Pro Enterprise Server from Insider Software (http://www.insidersoftware.com) is one of the fastest font servers I’ve used. This latest version uses the J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) architecture and is multithreaded to take advantage of multicore Macs.

The actual server setup involves setting up users, groups, and permissions. The user permissions are very straightforward. For a large number of users, the server can import users and groups from LDAP. As indicated, the users can be broken down into groups, and font libraries can be limited to certain groups. User lists can also be loaded in from a CSV spreadsheet file, making setup a snap.

There’s some additional setup in the System Preference Pane installed, including the server license info and synchronization schedule. Additional licenses or seats can be added at any time. Every user needing to access the server is required to have FontAgent Pro (FAP) installed.

Assuming the users have the proper permission, they can upload any custom font libraries and sets directly to the server after they connect to it. Other user benefits include built-in font inspection, smart sets, and smart classification of fonts. Of course, FAP auto-activates in most of the critical Adobe software, so the correct font is always available.

FontAgent Pro Server is a synchronization-type server, so if the server is out, users still have full access to their libraries. Therefore, the only major network activity is when the individual users are synchronizing with the server—and that’s very fast, even over a wireless network.

The cost is US$1,695 for the server software, with client software costing an additional $1,175 for 10 users. Additional discounts are available for 20, 50, and more users.
Rating: 10 out of 10

(This review is brought to you courtesy of "Layers Magazine": http://layersmagazine.com/ .)