Microsoft steps up efforts to help business users in curbing spam
14th July 2003 (Computimes)
By FERINA MANECKSHA MICROSOFT (M) Sdn Bhd is stepping up efforts to curb spam electronic mails (e-mails) which may have a serious impact on the return on investment (ROI) of enterprises if not addressed duly. The company's anti-spam strategy includes collaborating with industry players and government organisations to develop guidelines for helping business users to determine the legitimacy of commercial e -mails. Microsoft Malaysia's marketing director Alex Fong said with e-mail and messaging applications producing the highest ROI for businesses, organisations need to take spam seriously and ensure that their underlying (technology) foundation is dependable. According to Fong, raising the general awareness on e -spam and other security matters is an ongoing effort which can be accomplished through education, seminars, round-table discussions and communications. Microsoft, he added, is also addressing the spam issue from a technology perspective which involves incorporating anti-spam functionalities into its products. The company has introduced a SD framework to ensure its products are secure by design, default and deployment, he said. Fong said the soon-to-be-released Outlook 2003 and Exchange Server 2003 will include a host of anti-spam technologies and features, as well as application programming interface that enables third -party providers of spam filters to easily supply solutions for Exchange users. Exchange Server 2003 will allow administrators to restrict distribution lists to authenticated users, supports connection filtering based on real-time safe-and-block lists, enables filtering of inbound e-mails based on the recipient, and allows anti-virus vendor's products to run on Exchange servers that do not have resident Exchange mailboxes. Outlook 2003, meanwhile, will include a new smart filter that will access the database to recognise and block spam more effectively. Fong added that the goal is to secure e-mail systems with servers that monitor and control the gateways and other points of entry. |
