Clearswift MIMEsweeper SMTP Appliance EN10

Anti-spam measures are enhanced in this version as Clearswift's SpamLogic service has been augmented with the Mail-Filters solution. Spam gets an even tougher time as this dynamic duo uses a barrage of tests including textual analysis, auto-white listing, Bayesian analysis with auto-learning, Clearswift's own spam signature list, RBLs and the usual reverse DNS lookups. It all sounds complex but the spam filters can be configured in seconds with a new slider bar with determines how aggressive the checks should be. You can flag a message if one engine thinks it's spam or only block it if all the engines agree on its spam qualities.

Virus scanning comes courtesy of Kaspersky which needs no introduction and the engine also protects against spyware and phishing. All suspect messages and attachments are placed in quarantine areas which can be accessed directly from the Message Center. Further improvements have been made to rules for managing spam and infected messages as these can include a secondary action. It is now possible, for example, to block delivery of a suspect message but have a copy sent to the administrator. Message archiving is now a requirement rather than a luxury so all normal messages could be delivered but a copy sent to an archive server as well.

It's essential that a message security system provides good reporting and the EN10 doesn't disappoint as the Report Center offers a heap of predefined reports which can be scheduled to run at regular intervals and the output emailed to selected users. From the Message Center you can keep track off messages, browse the holding pens and view individual messages that have been held back by the appliance. These can then be released to the recipient, deleted or forwarded elsewhere. The PMM (Personal Message Management) feature allows your users to view their own inbound and outbound messages that have been held by the appliance and decide whether to release or delete them. A message digest is also sent to them at regular intervals advising of any messages that have been blocked.

The MIMEsweeper SMTP appliance family are standard setters for messaging security and the EN10 comes in a solid hardware package. It delivers a wealth of features that integrate well together and presents them in a smart web management interface that is extremely well designed and easy to use.