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What to Look for in an Enterprise Spam Filter

By December 14, 2015June 14th, 2017Blog

If it seems like the amount of spam coming into your company increases exponentially each year, you’re not alone. The volume of spam and malware sent every year is growing rapidly, and today only 13 percent of email originating from outside your company is from a real person.

To guard against this rising tide of malicious email, your organization needs a solution with first-rate protection against sophisticated spamming techniques. Here, we count down some of the top features to look for in an enterprise spam filter:

Safeguards against spoofing attempts

Most email filters limit the amount of spam coming in but ignore malicious messages that might be sent in the name of your company. Look for an enterprise spam filter that uses domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance (DMARC), in conjunction with SPF and DKIM. This will enable email recipients who receive email that looks like it came from your company to confirm that it is legitimate, rather than a spoofing scheme. Not only will your customers’ and vendors’ networks be safer; your organization’s reputation will be well-protected.

Advanced virus protection

New viruses emerge every day, which makes it important to find a spam filter that updates its virus signatures in real-time. Seek out a solution that scans both the email body and any attachments and works in conjunction with pattern detection technology to detect viruses that don’t yet have virus signatures in place.

IP address reputation checks and sender verification

Two of the best ways to protect your organization from spam involve giving senders a close once-over. You’re best served with an enterprise spam filter that includes IP address reputation checks that are updated in real-time, 24 hours a day. Pattern detection technology also helps to guard against zombie and botnet attacks.

It’s also important to find a solution that will verify the legitimacy of each sender using a digital “handshake.” When someone from outside the user’s email community sends him or her a message, the sender is sent a verification message. Once he or she clicks “verify me,” all emails from that sender are automatically routed to the user’s inbox. In many organizations, this simple step can cut down on nearly all spam and unwanted bulk mail.

Better bulk email management

Some machine-generated email, or bacn, is actually important to your users. (For example, industry newsletters, LinkedIn updates or emails from your favorite clothing store.) However, too much of it can get overwhelming very quickly, especially in a busy business environment. That’s why, in addition to verifying the IP address of each sender and offering safe sender lists, it’s helpful for your spam filter to provide a repository for bulk emails that the end user actually wants. That way, he or she can look through them on their own terms—rather than being distracted continually as they stream in throughout the day.

Improved inbox efficiency

While protecting your organization against malware and spam, your enterprise spam filter should also provide a lot more inbox efficiency for your users. Once unverified emails are eliminated, your organization should finally enjoy true email efficiency. In fact, when sender address verification tactics are used, about 85 percent of these verification messages go unanswered. With these spam messages diverted from your inboxes, employees are free to focus on other, more important aspects of their jobs.

Ready to improve your company’s spam protection and inbox efficiency? Sendio created Opt-Inbox™ and Email Security Gateway™ to meet the needs of enterprise businesses that require a more comprehensive approach to email security. Learn more about Sendio and  sign up for a free quote.