Demystifying the Anti-Spam Buzz

White Paper: Demystifying the Anti-Spam Buzz
WHITE PAPER
Demystifying the Anti-Spam Buzz:
Features vs. Fluff in the Search for an Enterprise Anti-Spam Solution
May, 2004
Summary
The options available to mitigate the problems of e-mail spam in the enterprise are varied. Justas varied is the variety of definitions of spam today. These factors often lead to some confusionabout what a particular anti-spam (or anti-fraud or anti-virus) solution may or may not do.
This paper demystifies the anti-spam market and its various choices and buzzwords to helpyou cut through the hype and focus on the basics: determining what features you need,whether a solution you are considering includes them, and to what degree. It also defines theimportant key elements that an anti-spam solution should have to ensure that your investmentwill be a solid one for years to come.
Copyright © 2004, Roaring Penguin Software Inc.1White Paper: Demystifying the Anti-Spam Buzz
Spam is Spam
Ads, fraud schemes, urgent requests for help, porn, virus attachments,phishing attempts . these are all examples of e-mail "spam" (junk orthreatening e-mail) that affect organizations and end-users today. Themarket for solutions to stop this spam can seem overwhelming, andcommon pricing strategies imply that there is a difference between typesof spam, or that different solutions are necessary to combat differentkinds of junk e-mail. We treat all spamBut these distinctions are misleading. The truth is, the techniques equally. If it's junkspammers use are common across all varieties of spam. For example, entering throughspammers frequently use virus and worm-infected machines to sendspam, and virus writers increasingly use spamware to distribute their your mail servers,work. Likewise, spammers seeking to steal money or identities (phishers) Roaring Penguin'suse the same techniques as commercial spammers seeking to sell the CanIt anti-spamlatest wonder drug, as do scammers hoping to convince you to transfer solutions will $10,000 to a special bank account in Nigeria. stop it.
Spam-Fighter's CocktailThree primary types of spam fighting solutions are available today:.Client-side solutions reside on individual users' machines.Distributed support requirements and license fees make themunsustainable in enterprise environments, it locks an enterprise intoparticular client vendor, and mobile and webmail users may not beable to access the solution..Outsourced (third-party) solutions require an enterprise's e-mailto be routed through third-party servers for filtering. Their primarydrawback is the loss of control over an enterprise's e-mail and itsfiltering techniques. .Server-based solutions come in the form of software and/or serverappliances, and act as a gateway between the Internet and the e-mail This paper focusesserver. This paper deals with server-based anti-spam solutions. on server-basedsolutions.Scalable, Server-Side ArchitectureServer-based anti-spam solutions are preferable for enterpriseenvironments because they can fully protect your network and users fromspam and viruses with minimum administrative burden. But, with spamand e-mail borne virus attacks increasing mail volumes exponentially,server-based must be truly scalable. Look for solutions with streamlinedarchitectures and technology and cost flexibility.
For example, ensure that you can configure the solution to filter outviruses before spending resources filtering for spam. Also ensure that the
Copyright © 2004, Roaring Penguin Software Inc.2White Paper: Demystifying the Anti-Spam Buzz
solution can be set to filter particular types and sizes of e-mail beforeperforming content-based filtering. These techniques contribute to a Scalable cost: streamlined e-mail filtering architecture. Finally, look for a solution that Look for a solutionis priced per-user and not per-server. Per-server pricing puts you at a that is priced per-disadvantage because as mail volumes grow, you have to spend more to user, not per-server.keep the solution effective by scaling it across more servers.
Integration with Existing Environment You likely already have various systems in place related to e-mail and Integration: you need to add spam-filtering capabilities. That should not require you With mail servers,to change your existing systems. Look for a solution that will work with... [download for more]