Protection Server is based on Proofpoint MLX, a machine-learning technology that employs granular-level adaptive protection to automatically defend organizations against emerging types of message-borne threats. At the same time, it examines more than 57,000 attributes to identify and eliminate spam.
The same technology is also available in Proofpoint’s P1000, a zero-administration security appliance the company says can scan and secure more than four million messages per day.
The new features common to Protection Server 2.5 and the P1000 include various security enhancements to the e-mail firewall, such as recipient verification, that provide greater protection against intrusions such as directory harvest attacks. Proofpoint has also given system administrators greater control over defining and enforcing different spam policies for different groups of end users, including allowing users to set their preferred level of aggressiveness for spam detection or to opt out of spam detection altogether. Enhanced reporting features enable administrators to identify spam trends across different groups of users.
The P1000 is the latest addition to Proofpoint’s P-Series line of anti-spam and message security appliances. The unit scans message structure and content using Proofpoint MLX technology while protecting against viruses and other malicious attachments (additional software is required). The P1000 also provides nearly 300GB of redundant disk capacity, enough to store more than 50 million messages in its quarantine.
Proofpoint Protection Server 2.5 is available immediately and runs on Linux and Solaris operating systems. Annual pricing ranges from $2-20 per user, depending on the number of e-mail inboxes. Existing Proofpoint customers can upgrade to the new version free of charge.
The Proofpoint P1000 appliance will be available next month, with prices starting at $25,000 for the hardware plus annual software fees.
