[squid-users] Speed up squid

I currently have squid installed.

I need to get some more speed out of it though. Was wondering if the
community had any thoughts.

I've expressed to the powers that be that throwing a proxy in the way
by nature will create a bottleneck to some degree. I mean it does have
to fetch the file, do it's thing, then let the proxy user's browser
have it. not to mention the that the url needs to be checked, scan
files for viruses, etc...

Also open to a hardware solution if anyone has any suggestions and
feel it would be faster.

Squid requirements.

We really only need squid to act as a web filter. Ive been told that
other smaller and faster programs can do this. But after looking into
them, they seem to be lacking on the one specific I need it to do.

NTLM authentication

That's the #1 most important requirement.

After that I need SPEED.

I basically just need the proxy to

1. Log NT domain users
2. Filter websites based on a blacklist (squidguard seems to be doing
OK for our needs currently, open to other possibilities )
3. Virus Filter ( Currently using havp, but open to faster/better suggestions )
4. SPEED ( just to reiterate )

Anyone have any pointers to set squid up with those requirements?

Many thanks in advance.

-- 
Kevin Blackwell