Review: SpamTitan for VMware

For: Easy-to-manage spam protection that can easily fit into any network. Against: Very few other features. Verdict: If you need to manage spam and have other email threat protection requirements covered by other tools, take a look at this offering.

This product is a VMware image that can be loaded onto any available server on the network, thereby not needing any real dedicated appliance or server.

However, do not let the virtual server fool you.

This product does have some nice features. SpamTitan, as the name implies, is more than anything a sophisticated spam filter and spam management tool, but that is not all this product is capable of.

Other features include two anti-virus engines (provided by ClamAV and Kaspersky), email disclaimer capability and attachment filtering.

We found this tool to be quite easy to use. The installation is comprised of just simply loading the VMware image in VMware Player, Workstation or Server and providing some network configuration information. After the install is complete, all management is done via the intuitive web-based GUI.

This tool can plug into the LDAP directory for easy and dynamic recipient verification. Also, most policy configuration is easily done by clicking either an on or off switch or building black- or whitelists. SpamTitan also uses Bayesian analysis for classifying potential spam, so it can keep up with the constant changes in detecting spam.

Documentation comes in the form of two PDF manuals. One is a short quick-start guide, which briefly details how to run the virtual image. The second is an administrator guide, which clearly illustrates configuration and product features. Both guides are well organized and easy to understand with a load of screen shots and diagrams.

Support from SpamTitan can be purchased as part of an annual maintenance program. This program includes phone and email technical support, access to a knowledge base, product version updates and anti-virus and anti-spam updates.

With a price that begins at US$550 for 100 users, we find this offering to be a good value for the money. Though it is primarily a spam detection tool, it does offer some features for a little extra protection.

It is easy to manage and it is lightweight, so it can be a nice addition to the protection of any network.

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