Frequently Asked Questions

What Anti-Spam services does PerfectMail offer?

PerfectMail provides comprehensive anti-spam and anti-virus services for protecting enterprise e-mail systems from spam, viruses and other types of e-mail borne attacks. Our web-based administrative console and web-based reporting features allow administrators to effectively manage their e-mail systems, regardless of server vendor type, hardware platform or location.

Is PerfectMail compatible with my mail server?

Yes. PerfectMail is 100% compliant with SMTP standards and will work with any Internet Mail Server.

Does PerfectMail require extensive integration with existing systems?

No. PrefectMail, either as a server-based solution or a managed service, operates as a separate entity requiring minimal integration.

What delivery models does PerfectMail use in offering its product?

PerfectMail can be delivered as a server based solution or as a managed service. We provide a full server install ISO image that you can install on your local hardware or as a virtual appliance. We also offer a fully managed service at our Class A datacenter.

How do I implement PerfectMail as a managed service?

Simple DNS updates redirect incoming e-mail messages to flow through the PerfectMail servers at our Class A datacenter, for real-time filtering before delivery to an end-users inbox. Spam and virus-infected messages are then either filtered at the server or scored and forwarded for desktop level filtering.

What types of anti-spam technology does PerfectMail use to filter spam?

PerfectMail's anti-spam engine was developed 100% in house using our own technology that utilizes heuristics and adaptive algorithms to check content, structure, history, reputation and references; and other information extract from e-mail messages.

Does PerfectMail processing delay message delivery?

Unlike "store and filter" spam solutions, PerfectMail filters e-mail in real-time (literally within milliseconds). There will be no noticeable delay in mail deliver.

How many domains can I protect with PerfectMail?

The number of domains you can protect is restricted by your PerfectMail license type. The Advanced and Enterprise Editions of PerfectMail have unlimited licensing on domains. We have customers who host over a thousand domains on a single PerfectMail server.

How many mail servers can I protect with PerfectMail?

PerfectMail has no restrictions on the number of mail servers that can be protected. PerfectMail can protect as many mail servers as there are domains you are hosting.

How many e-mail addresses can I protect with PerfectMail?

PerfectMail has no restrictions on the maximum number of e-mail addresses that can be protected on any license. However, there are limitations based on the number of concurrent e-mail connections your license will allow. This effectively sizes PerfectMail, based on license, for different types of organizations. Choose a PerfectMail license that is appropriate for your organization and forget about license compliance based on the number of users or e-mail addresses you support.

Can PerfectMail handle large outbound e-mail blasts?

Yes. Many of our clients relay their outbound newsletter and marketing messages through their PerfectMail servers. In fact, sending your e-mail blasts through PerfectMail helps to build e-mail history with your marketing and newsletter recipients to help reduce false positives when filtering incoming e-mail.

Will PerfectMail appliances crash under excessive load?

No. PerfectMail limits the number of concurrent messages they handle to fit within its hardware capabilities. Excess e-mail connections are refused until the server load drops to an acceptable level.

Does PerfectMail have any way of defending against a Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDOS)?

Yes. PerfectMail has strategies in place to defend against various types of focused and distributed SMTP based attacks. PerfectMail maintains a database of "known servers" for which it reserves a minimum number of e-mail connections. This number adjusts depending on the number of mail connections received from "known servers". In a DDOS situation "unknown" mail servers and "known" mail servers are each allotted a number of e-mail connections with preference being given to "known" mail servers. This guarantees that server resources are given to "known" mail servers effectively mitigating the effects of a DDOS attack.

What type of anti-virus technology does PerfectMail use to filter viruses?

PerfectMail incorporates the ClamAV anti-virus engine, designed for detecting Trojans, viruses, malware and other malicious threats. It is the de facto standard for high performance mail gateway scanning.

How often does PerfectMail update its virus database?

PerfectMail includes an intelligent tool for automatic signature updates, checking for updates every 10 minutes, to ensure your virus signatures are always up to date.

What does PerfectMail do with e-mails containing viruses?

When PerfectMail identifies a virus or other dangerous e-mail attachment it rejects the message outright, during the SMTP transaction. PerfectMail responds with an SMTP reject code which will be returned to the sender stating that the message was rejected because it contained a virus (or dangerous attachment) with details on the virus (or dangerous attachment) that was found.

Our company already has an anti-virus solution that includes spam filtering. Does that make PerfectMail redundant?

While many organizations have been able to manage their virus problems using current anti-virus tools, the high volume and variability of Spam and other e-mail borne attacks present an ever increasing security problem. PerfectMail anti-spam provides industry leading technologies not available in anti-virus products that can easily work in conjunction with existing anti-virus solutions. The best defense against spam and viruses is a multi-layer defense: Spam and anti-virus defense at the perimeter with PerfectMail, anti-virus defense at the mail server and spam (and possibly anti-virus) defense at the desktop.

Our company already has anti-spam filtering at the desktop. Why do we need PerfectMail?

Spam is an ever evolving, dynamic and increasing problem, requiring ongoing development and attention that is difficult to implement at the desktop level. PerfectMail anti-spam provides industry leading technologies not available in desktop filtering tools, providing excellent spam filtering with extremely low false positive rates. Further, PerfectMail can easily work in conjunction with desktop spam filtering to provide a spam filtering solution that is both extremely effective and easily manageable for end-users.

How do I release blocked spam messages or recover lost e-mail?

All e-mail, including both spam and legitimate messages is stored on the server for a short period of time; typically 14 to 30 days. (Types of spam and holding time is dependent on individual server settings.) A web-based administrator interface gives administrators full access to review, release, resend and report all e-mails - both spam and legitimate messages. E-mail Activity Reports and a Self Service Console are also available to give end-users the ability to manage their e-mail without burdening mail administrators with excessive support requests.

Is PerfectMail PCI compliant?

Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance does not apply to a particular technology element within an organization; rather it reflects the state of the organization itself. PerfectMail can be part of your PCI compliant e-mail system. PerfectMail anti-spam is an edge-device supporting TLS encryption, allowing for the sending and receiving of secure data across public networks using the SMTP protocol. Using HTTPS administrators can also manage their PerfectMail server in a secure manner. Review the PCI compliance guidelines and take the necessary precautions with the setup and configuration of your PerfectMail appliance to ensure PCI compliance.

Does PerfectMail use Active Directory?

PerfectMail does not use Active Directory for e-mail address validation. Rather, t makes use of the SMTP Recipient Filtering setting in Microsoft Exchange to extract that information from your Exchange server during the mail transmission.