Review: Nemx Power Tools for Exchange 2000

Installing the product was easy enough. It installs as a service on an Exchange server and adds a mail-enabled user to Active Directory. Before installation we had to make sure that MDAC version 2.5 Service Pack 3 and Jet Database Engine version 4.0 were installed. After we installed the application, a dll called "exchmem.dll" appeared on the desktop, which seems sloppy.

The software is configured from within the Exchange System Manager. Clicking on the the icon launched windows from which Nemx Power Tools can be tuned.

There are a number of options with the console, including spam and anti-virus measures, and the console allows for periodic updates.

Within the application is a Concept Filtering policy. This filters messages by looking at the context in which they were sent, and attempts to look at the meaning of the email as opposed to using simple keywords. Messages that do not pass muster can be deleted or quarantined. We set this up to quarantine messages and send them to a separate mail folder.

There is also a heuristics filter which requires importing a set of rules into its database. A set of pre-defined rules is available from the vendor but we think some rules should have been included.

In testing the Concept Filtering we bombarded the test server with our test messages. Initially this appeared to process incoming mails speedily, but the MAPI spooler service failed as the load grew. No email was actually lost, it was just delayed. With all the measures tuned, plus pre-defined subject filtering and RBLs, it could probably get through messages a lot faster.

The Concept Filtering was unimpressive in tagging spam but to its credit not a single false positive was registered. The software has some rough edges, but this could be one to watch.

For:

Interesting filtering technology.

Performance could use a boost.

Good but unexceptional mail protection suite for Exchange.