Total virus protection is defined as a product that can prevent the spread of a virus that may infiltrate your network. ESI's Anti-Virus Solution not only provides protection against viruses at the email gateway (SMTP based mail) but it also prevents the spread of viruses internally on sites running Exchange or Lotus Notes. In addition, ESI's Anti-Virus Solution integrates seamlessly with our email content filtering solution, Message Inspector, which can be used as a secondary line of virus defense. The greatest window of vulnerability at the email gateway is immediately after a new borne virus hits the "street," and virus vendors are furiously trying to develop a signature that will address this new virus. Message Inspector allows users to create rules that will block mail based on specific language and/or a specific file attachment(s).

In your opinion, how big of a problem is spam?

Managing spam has become a time-consuming challenge for network administrators, executives and employees alike. IDC research reveals that 1.5 billion spam mailings hit corporate in-boxes in 2001, representing about 20% of all U.S. business email. All the required sending, receiving, responding and deleting is taking its toll on workplace productivity and mail server bandwidth, as well as increasing the risk of legal liability from inappropriate email content. And, with the increased popularity of portable email devices and 24/7 email pagers, the spam problem is likely to increase.

Internet monitoring in the workplace is a common thing. How can a company find an appropriate balance between its interest and employees' privacy?


Elron Software is cognizant of this issue and has always strived to help our customers find a balance between creating a productive work environment and maintaining employee privacy. The first step comes in the form of a comprehensive Internet Usage Policy (IUP), which should be clearly communicated to all employees in written form. Elron Software publishes an Internet Usage Policy guide, which can help organizations formulate a policy that works for them, but companies are also encouraged to consult with their attorneys prior to distributing the policy company-wide.

While the Internet should be used primarily for business-related purposes, most companies are willing to accept a certain amount of recreational surfing. Web filtering solutions, such as IM Web Inspector, can help companies achieve the balance they are seeking between protecting their interests and employee privacy. For example, Web Inspector can be used to restrict the web surfing activity that potentially exposes the company to legal liability, while allowing everyday, recreational surfing. Often times, access to these recreational sites can even be eliminated from reporting altogether, giving employees the confidence that a certain level of privacy is guaranteed. Solutions like Web Inspector are not intended to monitor an employee's every step on the Internet, just to ensure that it's being used responsibly.

What's your opinion on websites that run their own "blacklists" of alleged spammers?