Pair Strengthen Exchange

A pair of developers are taking aim at viruses with new products that better secure Microsoft Corp.s Exchange messaging software.

Sybari Software Inc. and Authentica Inc. each unveiled new wares at the Microsoft Exchange Conference show in Orlando, Fla., last week. Upgraded and new versions of Sybaris Antigen software promise to stop intrusions from viruses and other sources into Exchange messaging systems. Authenticas MailRecall products impose controls on messaging systems, preventing, for example, information in e-mail deemed sensitive from being forwarded or printed.

Sybaris Antigen for Exchange Version 6.5 adds capabilities to improve filtering of e-mail viruses and spam. It filters by subject line, sender and domain name, in addition to file name, file type and wildcards. This version can scan connector messages passing through Exchange Message Transfer Agent so anti-virus scanning and content filtering are performed at the connector level, preserving resources needed to provide protection of mailboxes and public folders at Exchange Information Store.

Antigen 6.5 also features Antigen Worm Purge, for stopping e-mail worms, and support for Microsofts Virus Scanning Application Program Interface 2.0.

Zach Cartozian, manager for office infrastructure at Walmart.com, a unit of Walmart Stores Inc., in Brisbane, Calif., said his company has yet to evaluate the Antigen upgrade, although he said many of the new features sound promising.

“As more viruses of one type or another get into content, it would be useful,” Cartozian said. Walmart.com now uses Antigen 6.1, which Cartozian describes as a “foolproof” system for screening viruses out of Exchange.

Sybari, of East Northport, N.Y., is extending Antigens capabilities to Microsofts SharePoint knowledge management software. A new product, Antigen 1.0 for Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server, scans documents and files in the SharePoint system for viruses and allows administrators to better manage and organize those files.

Meanwhile, Authentica announced MailRecall Gateway and MailRecall 3.0, products for the server and desktop, respectively. MailRecall Gateway combines digital rights management, content scanning and encryption technologies to allow organizations to enforce corporate e-mail policies and prevent the loss of sensitive business information. It can scan for viruses and content deemed inappropriate, said officials in Waltham, Mass.

MailRecall 3.0 lets users set parameters for secure sharing of sensitive information and intellectual property without surrendering the rights to control of that information.