FAQ

Q: What is Total Mail Defense?

A: Total Mail Defense is a hosted security service that blocks spam, viruses and mal-ware before they reach your mail server and your email account. Identity theft scams, fraudulent emails appearing to originate from financial institutions, executable content and spam are either outright rejected or quarantined. This vastly reduces your email system's load and eliminates the many hours it takes to sift through the thousands of useless or damaging email many users receive on a daily basis.

Q: How does it work?

A: By applying many security checks and hundreds of spam tests including artificial intelligence analysis on every piece of email received, we are able to effectively remove the majority of Spam and many other types of malicious email.

Q: Will my legitimate emails be deleted?

A: Total Mail Defense blocks spam and malicious email with a high degree of accuracy. Email that is detected as spam (but not mal-ware) may be retrieved from our web-based user interface. Total Mail Defense also blocks all executable content as a matter of policy. Occasionally users attempt sending legitimate email that contains executables. This is a security risk as most users are not qualified to determine the difference between a legitimate email with executable content and a malicious email with executable content, even if it comes from a 'known sender' (the known sender could have already been compromised). Therefore we recommend using alternate methods* to send & receive executable content. All email delivered from standards-compliant email servers (any email server operated by an established company would be 'standards compliant') is accepted by Total Mail Defense for delivery and then analyzed for spam content.

Q: Do I need to install any software?

A: No. The total mail defense system resides on our systems and our team of dedicated staff maintain it for you. Your company will need to change some minor settings so that you company email goes through the total mail defense system.

Q: Does our company email server need to change?

A: No. The only change will be with how your email is routed across the Internet. Your email is delivered to Total Mail Defense where it is analyzed and the malicious content blocked. The email that passes all the checks is then delivered to your company email server.

Q: Where does the work get done?

A: Our high-powered servers sit in a high-security data center sitting on OC3 Networks at the world renowned One Wilshire building in Los Angeles. One Wilshire is one of the world's most interconnected facilities. Hundreds of networks converge at One Wilshire, bringing together networks from nations around the globe.

Q: Do any user accounts need to change?

A: No, None of your user accounts will need any modification

Q: Will any existing email configuration or passwords be altered?

A: No, there is no change to your configuration or passwords.

Q: Why do we need to disable our catch-all email account if we have one?

A: Total Mail Defense does not support the use of catch all email accounts. The reason for this is such accounts tend to attract voluminous quantities of spam and malicious email and is often a contributing factor that destabilizes company email servers. System load on your company email server could be significantly lowered (percentages as high as 90% have been recorded) by simply disabling your catch all account.

Q: Is Total Mail Defense a replacement for existing antivirus software?

A: No. Total Mail Defense does block viruses that arrive via #1 virus attack vector – email, however viruses can infect using other means, therefore you should not discontinue your use of antivirus software.

Q: How does Total Mail Defense reduce bandwidth utilization?

A: Total Mail Defense reduces bandwidth utilization by rejecting and/or quarantining most SPAM and malicious email before reaches your email server or email account. Percentages above 99% bandwidth utilization reduction have been recorded.

Q: How does Total Mail Defense reduce overall message volume?

A: Total Mail Defense lowers overall message volume by preventing messages from being processed by your email server using sophisticated technology to identify spam and other malicious email. Our statistics show Total Mail Defense delivers less than 1% of all email that attempts to go through our systems.

Q: What access will I or my email administrator have to Total Mail Defense?

A: Your administrator will have access to a control panel that allows them to manage your account. Global and specific white/black lists can be established and managed in addition to a view of recently processed messages and in depth management of your email quarantine. (Email blocked as spam.)

Q: What is the procedure for implementing Total Mail Defense?

A: Total Mail Defense implementation is very simple. Once your account is established, Total Mail Defense Customer Service assist you to make the required email routing changes. This is usually completed within 24-48 hrs. Our support staff will also provide tips on how to best setup your company wide and/or individual white and black lists.