Postini's Active EMS (E-Mail Management System) is a new service that can make securing and managing e-mail easier. Active EMS targets major enterprise e-mail issues, such as limiting e-mail downtime, getting timely system activity statistics and reports, and handling e-mail-borne viruses.
Active EMS is an SMTP service that moves e-mail monitoring off the corporate network. It sits between the Internet and customers' e-mail servers, providing a "pass-through architecture" for real-time messaging processing. The service monitors and gathers statistics on SMTP data before it reaches internal e-mail servers. If it detects foul play, it blocks threats or stops connections. Founder and Vice President of Products & Engineering Scott Petry describes the service as "the last hop" for e-mail before it reaches its destination. Because it operates externally, Active EMS can relieve network managers of many e-mail security tasks.
The Active EMS platform comprises several services:
- Traffic Monitor provides real-time or near real-time status and statistics for all mail activity
- Traffic Manager detects DoS attacks and other perils, and blocks suspect IP ranges at the source based on criteria you establish
- Delivery Monitor manages e-mail servers and balances loads as necessary
- E-mail spooling helps cope with server outages; in the event of a server failure, mail messages are spooled until service is restored
- System Alerts notify e-mail sys admins when threatening events occur
- Detailed Reporting can be used to track use of e-mail system resources; trend data can be used to determine capacity planning
