Choosing an anti-spam mail server application has become increasingly important. Simple lists and rules that once worked have become obsolete in the battle against sophisticated spammers and cyber attacks. There are a number of factors to consider when choosing an anti-spam mail server. Operating systems, 32- or 64-bit versions, make and model of hardware used and filtering of both incoming and outgoing messages are all factors in choosing email security software.
There are programs that are available only for certain operating systems and some that will work with multiple operating systems. Verifying that your server is using a 32- or 64-bit version is crucial too. Many programs that function as anti-spam mail server protection double as anti-virus protection. You might not want to combine the two functions if you are running a dedicated email server because this would be a waste of resources.
Many people want to filter incoming messages for spam and threats, but you might want to filter outgoing mail as well. Anti-spam mail server programs are available with this feature to prevent the transmission of unsuitable email or proprietary information. For a business whose email access is not tightly controlled, this could be a valuable asset in protecting the business’ emails from being blacklisted.
Also worthy of thought is what to do with suspected email spam. There is the possibility of legitimate or vital messages being detained because of a false positive identification as spam. Some corporations “quarantine” the email and let the recipient determine its validity. Others will simply delete them or hold them for an administrator’s review. Allowing the client or recipient of the email to build rules or flag messages as spam might also be a desired feature.
After you’ve identified how you want the anti-spam mail server software to be configured, the next concern is maintenance and updates. Ideally, the program you use will have real-time linking to a central database that will instantly update after a spammer has been identified. This is a selling point on a number of programs, and others offer updating similar to anti-virus programs where new threats are posted in batches or at a regular interval. You might want the option to build in your own criteria or have the program “learn” from what you or your other users flag as junk mail.
The best anti-spam mail server program is going to be flexible, powerful and created with foresight to grow with your email needs. There are a great number of anti-spam applications available, and most of them will offer a trial period so you can see how easy they are to work with and how well they can fit your needs. After your research is completed and you have made your selection, the purchase can be completed with confidence.