Email Virus Protection

Overview

MailRoute's virus-filtering service passes all email through multiple anti-virus engines. This process provides redundancy and ensures that only clean email is delivered through to the corporate mail server. Since each engine is updated every 10 minutes, recognition of fast moving viruses is optimized.

How It Works

Since MailRoute is a fully managed service, implementation of the Anti-Virus solution requires only that you sign up with MailRoute and then make a simple change to the DNS records for your domain. There is no interruption in your email services during the implementation period. There is no software or hardware required.

Once the DNS change is made, email starts flowing through the MailRoute network where each message is inspected by multiple anti-virus engines

MailRoute partners with the leading virus-protection companies. Since our solution uses multiple partners, we are able to deploy the most effective virus scan to counteract fast moving viruses and we can optimize across the updates provided by the leading companies.

All types of messages are recursively decoded and scanned.

Features

• Multiple anti-virus engines protect your email.
• Updates occur every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day.
• Infected email is detected and destroyed before it reaches your network.
• No hardware or software is required.
• Implementation takes only minutes and is risk-free.
• 99.999% uptime guarantee.

Benefits

• MailRoute's anti-virus engines are always up-to-date.
• Solution does not require you to update servers or desktops.
• Multiple scanners provide additional redundancy, so you don't fail to catch a new virus.
• Rapid, seamless implementation activates protection in minutes.
• Frees up valuable IT resources.
• Since email viruses do not reach your network or your server, your security is increased.
• Reduced load on servers, particularly during heavy virus outbreaks.

FAQs

Q. How often does MailRoute update the anti-virus software?

We check for updates every 10 minutes, and when new ones are available, we broadcast them to all our servers after they pass a comprehensive test suite. You're protected as soon as the updates are available.

In some cases, we can put a filename or filetype block in place to stop a fast moving virus even before formal anti-virus definition updates are available.

Q. What happens to email that is infected with a virus?

It is destroyed. We believe that an email that has been infected is compromised. No cleaning service can possibly insure that a "clean" email hasn't been damaged in some way.

Q. What about virus-infected files that are buried in Zip or StuffIt archives?

We recursively unpack all types of archives (i.e. zip, arc, sit, lha, uuencoded). If an archive contains an archive, that is also unpacked and scanned.

Q. Do we still need our desktop anti-virus software if we're using the MailRoute Service?

Yes. Our service significantly complements desktop and server software solutions. Since an infection could come from a downloaded file, a cd-rom, or floppy disk, we recommend that you continue to use desktop software.

Currently, over 90% of all viruses are carried by email, including virtually every fast-moving virus. We've found that the update schedule for email protection must be much more rapid than for the typical desktop solution. Since we employ multiple anti-virus engines - using solutions from multiple anti-virus provders - our protection is greater than the single-source protection found on a desktop. Desktop anti-virus protection requires continual updates and management. The MailRoute service is completey hands-off and automated.