ANTI VIRUS, ANTI SPAM: Trend Micro InterScan VirusWall 5

This integrated product by Trend Micro integrates virus protection on the gateway, mail server, anti-spam and content-filtering capabilities in a bundle, thus, providing an easy to deploy solution for an

SME.

The configuration of the system can be done using the detailed getting started guide that comes with the solution. It includes a checklist that can be used at the time of installation. Lists include things such as IP address and POP addresses etc.

The solution prevents virus attacks on the network by residing on the gateway server. It provides virus protection on HTTP, FTP, SMTP and POP3 protocols. It monitors all the traffic from the Web including the mail messages.

The virus pattern files and anti-spam rules can be automatically updated by scheduling. An incremental update is done in order to reduce the download time. On the flip side, Virus Wall for SME cannot scan password protected or encrypted messages.

It also does not scan HTTPS traffic. Though it does tag the password-protected messages with a warning that they have not been scanned.

The spam protection engine of the software uses both the signature database and the allowed e-mail addresses techniques.

Users can also submit their suspected spam addresses to Trend Micro for addition to the signature database. Similarly, the false positives can also be reported. 

Once the spam is identified the administrator can either delete it or tag and return it to the sender.

Bandwidth comes at a premium , and so needs to be used judiciously. Employees often use the bandwidth for downloading music or accessing personal mail that leads to overheads. However, this can be blocked using the simple content-filtering functions of the solution, wherein an administrator can block access to particular sites and file-types. 

In all, it's a well-priced integrated solution offering relevant features with the added advantage of easy content filtering. 

Geetaj Channana