An MX spam filter is another name for a cloud-based email filtering service to which businesses subscribe and then connect to the service by redirecting their mail exchanger (MX) record. In most cases an MX spam filter is the most cost-effective way to protect businesses from spam emails and the threats that accompany them. However, this is not the only benefit of implementing an MX spam filter.
Because the mechanisms driving an MX spam filter are cloud-based, maintenance of the service and all necessary updates are the responsibility of the service provider. This includes implementing counter-measures to combat the growing sophistication of phishing emails, which businesses may struggle to apply sufficiently quickly on hardware devices or on-premises software installations.
This means that business using an MX spam filter are often better protected against spam emails and phishing emails than businesses using alternate solutions – provided the counter-measures implemented by the service provider are effective and easy for system administrators to understand. As with hardware and software solutions, not all cloud-based email filtering services are the same.
How to Select an MX Spam Filter Vendor
Although the history of an MX spam filter vendor is important, it is not as important as the service they are offering. Phishing counter-measures are just one consideration. Other considerations include the front-end tests their service performs on inbound mail, the flexibility and scalability of the service, and other features that should be included in the service without additional charge.
Front-end tests vary considerably. Vendors such as Microsoft use a combination of processes that can be complicated to administer. Due to the potential complications, genuine senders can have their emails returned and “false negatives” (i.e. spam emails) can avoid detection. There are also issues with the way in which Microsoft updates its anti-spam software retrospectively rather than proactively.
By comparison, vendors such as SpamTitan proactively reduce spam emails and email-borne threats through the Greylisting process. This process helps prevent spam from previously unidentified sources while accelerating the delivery of business-critical emails from trusted sources. It also helps prevent bottlenecks on the mail server to eliminate delays in the filtering service.
Flexibility and scalability are generally standard with cloud service providers – provided businesses are not locked into receiving a certain level of service. Other features that should be included without additional charge include synchronization with management tools, outbound scanning and malicious URL blocking to further protect businesses and their employees from the threat of phishing emails.
More about SpamTitan´s MX Spam Filter
SpamTitan has been developing email filtering and web security solutions since 1999. More than five thousand businesses and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) use SpamTitan solutions to protect their networks from infiltration by malicious actors and to protect their data from theft by malicious insiders. SpamTitan´s cloud-based MX spam filter service is known as SpamTitan Cloud.
SpamTitan Cloud has a verifiable 99.97% spam detection rate. The service also has a verifiable 100% malware detection rate due to dual antivirus engines driven by Clam AV and Bitdefender. The service guarantees email continuity in the event of a server outage, and provides system administrators a web-based, single-view portal through which to apply web filtering policies.
More advanced features include pattern learning to identify potential threats for further inspection, data leak protection to prevent confidential information being extracted by hackers, and threat intelligence reports to better prepare IT security teams against future malware and ransomware attacks. This level of service would be unavailable on a hardware or on-premises software solutions.
If you would like to know more about SpamTitan´s cloud-based email filtering service, do not hesitate to contact us. Our team of experienced Sales Technicians will be happy to discuss your current email filtering solution, explain how SpamTitan Cloud can improve its effectiveness, and invite you to take advantage of a free trial of SpamTitan Cloud to evaluate our MX spam filter in your own environment.