Computer Mail Services, Inc. Now Shipping ‘Praetor’

Advanced Plug-in for Microsoft Exchange is the First Software Utility Designed Specifically to Proactively Filter Unsolicited Commercial Email (spam)

Press Contact:
Lih-Tah Wong

Computer Mail Services, Inc., Inc.

248.352.6700 x220

lwong@cmsconnect.com

Southfield, Michigan -- August 24, 1999 --

Computer Mail Services, Inc. (CMS), a leading developer of messaging connectivity solutions, announces that it has begun shipping Praetor, an advanced plug-in for Microsoft Exchange that is the first software utility designed specifically to proactively filter unsolicited commercial e-mail, commonly known as spam. Based on Windows NT, Praetor essentially sits in front of MS Exchange and serves as a comprehensive messaging firewall.

Praetor provides highly effective anti-spam filtering by validating all incoming e-mail from the Internet at both the SMTP protocol and message levels. Praetor's first -- and most basic -- line of defense is the use lists of banned and approved text to identify and isolate spam e-mail. While these lists provide some level of protection, they are insufficient to protect users against all types of spam. To address this, Praetor also includes proprietary technology based on the analysis and profiling of the techniques used by most spammers. The result is a powerful anti-spam solution, one that is uniquely proactive in its elimination of spam, not reactive and in need of constant input and updating by network administrators.

Praetor begins at the message transport level (i.e. Internet standard RFC 821), saving network bandwidth by automatically validating the domain and/or IP address as an acceptable e-mail source, and by also verifying To/From information prior to passing the e-mail on for filtering at the message header level. When the inbound message is fully validated at the transport level it is then collected and stored, after which analysis and validation at the message header level (i.e. Internet standard RFC 822) can begin.

Message header level tests include validations for the sender, recipient, the subject line, and even the message's body text. Via these testing sorties, once Praetor determines whether a message is spam, its judgment is absolute: it will not consume further system resources by subjecting the message to any subsequent testing.

Customization of message level spam countermeasures in Praetor is accomplished via a built in Rules Wizard -- similar to that found in Microsoft Outlook -- which allows administrators to create custom filtering rules to protect their particular site. For example, administrators can easily establish rules for rejecting certain words or phrases that appear in either or both the message header or message body. The use of Praetor's Rules Wizard therefore helps to preserve valuable MS Exchange resources, because messages that do contain rejected words or phrases are never passed on to the Exchange server. Simply put, Praetor's Rules Wizard provides administrators the power to tailor server-side rules to filter particularly insidious spam messages.

The shipping version of Praetor also allows Content-Based Forwarding, an extension of the Rules Wizard. With it, administrators can write rules that allow the forwarding of messages with certain keywords in specified fields -- messages with "Help" in the subject line, for example, can be automatically forwarded to a site's help desk. Like the Rules Wizard, Content-Based Forwarding is not canned and thus allows an infinite number of custom forwarding rules.

Praetor administrator and control is simple and familiar, because the software seamlessly integrates with Exchange, appearing as another resource within the Exchange administrative panel. Configuration is equally straightforward.

"Praetor is the first and only software utility designed specifically to provide enhanced anti-spam protection for the Microsoft Exchange message platform," said Jeff Ventura, Director of Product Marketing for Computer Mail Services, Inc. "With its unique ability to provide three distinct levels of anti-spam filtering, it provides administrators with unparalleled power and flexibility in combating unwanted e-mail.

Praetor is priced beginning at $295 for 10 users; as user count grows, costs become more economical due to server-based pricing. For more information or a specific pricing quotation, contact CMS by phone at 800-883-2674 or 248-352-6700, via fax at 248-352-6700, send an electronic mail to info@cmsconnect.com, or visit the company’s Web site at http://www.cmsconnect.com.

About Computer Mail Services, Inc.

Founded in 1982, Sterling Heights, Michigan-based Computer Mail Services, Inc. (CMS), is a privately-held company specializing in the development of messaging connectivity products. CMS advanced technology solutions allow LAN e-mail systems to communicate with each other, with the Internet/SMTP, and with public messaging services. The company has 12 products that serve the connectivity needs of thousands of corporations worldwide, including gateways for Microsoft Mail, Lotus cc:Mail, Lotus Notes, Banyan VINES, Novell MHS, MCI Mail and SMTP/MIME.

Praetor is a trademark of Computer Mail Services Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies.