Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server Overview
Fast and effective protection against malware and spamForefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server provides fast and effective detection of viruses, worms, spyware and spam by integrating multiple scanning engines from industry-leading security partners in a single solution. Its comprehensive messaging protection includes integration with Forefront Online Protection for Exchange for the defense-in-depth benefits of hosted and on-premise filtering and content filtering to prevent out-of-policy content from entering or leaving your network.
Key Benefits
Comprehensive Protection
Stops malware faster through integration of multiple industry-leading scanning engines Provides multi-layer anti-spam defenses on premise and in the cloud
Blocks dangerous attachments and out-of-policy content with file and keyword filtering Integrated Security
Maximizes detection without compromising performance Integrates with Exchange Server for optimized scanning Provides one-click provisioning for hosted filtering service Simplified Management
Provides dashboard view of messaging security
Automates download and distribution of signature updates
Includes integrated health monitoring with SCOM management pack
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server provides protection for Exchange Server 2010 and Exchange Server 2007 messaging environments. Customers who purchase Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server will also be licensed to use Microsoft Antigen 9.0 products to protect their Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2000 environments.
Features
Feature Highlight: Multi-layer Antispam Protection
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server integrates both on-premise software and hosted spam filtering services to provide a multi-layered defense against the ever-increasing influx of spam. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server also draws on multiple antispam technologies to provide comprehensive protection against constantly evolving spammer tactics.
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server:
Protects Exchange 2010 and 2007 through aggregated reputation services and SmartScreen filtering technology from Microsoft. These are enhanced with highly accurate spam-filtering technology from industry-leading partner Cloudmark.
Offers built-in integration with Forefront Online Protection for Exchange*, a hosted filtering service that enables customers to block spam before it ever reaches their networks. From a single management console, customers can provision, configure, and report on Forefront Online Protection for Exchange reputation and connection filtering for an even stronger barrier against spam.
* Note that customers who purchase the Forefront Protection Suite, Exchange Enterprise CAL, or Enterprise CAL Suite have rights to use both Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server and Forefront Online Protection for Exchange.
Detailed Feature List
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server combines real-time antivirus, antispyware, antispam, and content filtering in a single solution to provide fast and effective detection of viruses, spam, and spyware. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange 2010 environments are both supported by Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server.
Feature Description
Stop malware faster with multi-engine scanning
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server is the only leading e-mail protection product that offers multiple scanning engines in a single solution. Multiple engine scanning is important because even though virtually every business (97 percent) has antivirus and firewall protection, half of them (50 percent) experienced virus infections (CSI/FBI 2008 Survey). That’s because when new threats are discovered, the time it takes for scan engine vendors to release antivirus signatures to detect them varies greatly—in some cases by days or weeks!
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server engine set is proven to promote faster detection rates of new threats than single-engine solutions (AV-Test.org). Administrators can run up to five scan engines simultaneously and in different combinations at Edge, Hub, and Mailbox servers.
Provides premium antispam
protection
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server builds on the basic antispam functionality included in Exchange 2010 to provide a 99 percent detection rate with less than 1 in 250,000 false positives (West Coast Labs). Its premium antispam technologies include a Forefront DNS block list aggregated from multiple providers, anti-backspatter protocol filtering, and integration of the Cloudmark content filtering engine. Forefront Protection 2010 also integrates with Forefront Online Protection for Exchange to allow organizations to provide multiple layers of defense against the constantly growing influx of spam from a single, centralized console.
Block dangerous attachments
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server includes configurable file filtering rules that help administrators eliminate file types known for carrying viruses (for example,.exe) or opening organizations to legal exposure (for example,.mp3). It can identify threatening files even if the file extension has been changed. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server can also unpack and selectively repack compressed files, such as.zip, after removing out-of-policy documents.
Prevent Data Theft
Keyword filtering in Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server prevents the upload or download of out-of-policy content, from confidential files to inappropriate language, thereby helping to reduce company liability. Administrators can configure keyword filters to scan within most Office documents as well as use pre-defined rules to automatically block profane and discriminatory terms in e-mail.
Eliminate single points of failure
The diversity of antivirus engines protects against a single point of failure. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server manages these engines so that if one engine fails or goes offline to update, other engines continue to protect the IT environment without slowing mail delivery.
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server integrates with Exchange Server to enable high-performance protection of messaging environments that is easy for administrators to customize.
Feature Description
Maximize detection without compromising performance
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server enables administrators to balance the security and performance needs of their specific environments. These administrator settings manage the number of selected engines used at any one time, dynamically choosing the most up-to-date and effective engines for each scan.
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server maximizes performance through in-memory scanning which is much more efficient than such traditional techniques as spooling to disk. It also uses multi-threaded scanning to increase throughput by enabling the software to analyze many document uploads or downloads simultaneously.
Optimize antivirus scanning on Exchange servers
Using the latest transport agents and virus scanning API technologies of Exchange Server 2010, Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server provides compatibility, stability and optimal scanning performance.
Get one-click
provisioning for hosted filtering services
Because Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server is integrated with Forefront Online Protection for Exchange, administrators can add hosted spam and virus filtering to their messaging security mix with the single click of a button. Administrators can manage common policies, quarantine management, and reporting for both products from the same management console.
Through integration with Exchange Server and core Microsoft infrastructure technologies, Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server provides high performance, easily customized antivirus and antispam optimized for Exchange environments.
Feature Description
Messaging Security Dashboard
The new Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange administrator console provides an at-a-glance view of all messaging security detection statistics and health data.
Automate download and distribution of signature updates
Through its Rapid Update Process, Microsoft monitors all scan-engine vendor Web sites for updates. It downloads and validates new engine versions and signatures as they become available and then posts them online for Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server to download and install automatically. Once properly configured, no administrator involvement is needed to keep all engines and signatures current.
Extend manageability The Windows PowerShell interface in Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server gives administrators the flexibility to create new scripts to manage and configure messaging security. Monitor collaboration
security health
A management pack for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 enables
administrators to monitor the health of Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server as part of enterprise-wide operational management practices.
Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server combines real-time antivirus, antispyware, antispam, and content filtering in a single solution to provide comprehensive protection against the latest threats to your messaging infrastructure. New features include:
Premium antispam protection, with 99 percent detection rate, less than 1 in 250,000 false positives, and backscatter filtering.
New user interface with dashboard view of detection statistics and health monitoring. Antispyware scanning provided by the Microsoft Antimalware Engine.
Integrated provisioning and management of Forefront Online Protection for Exchange (FOPE) for hybrid, on-premise/hosted protection.
Support for Exchange 2010, Windows PowerShell, and Hyper-V. Standardized installation using MSI installer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server?
A. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server provides fast and effective detection of viruses, worms, and spyware by integrating multiple scanning engines from industry-leading security partners in a single solution. Its comprehensive messaging protection also prevents spam and out-of-policy content from entering or leaving your network using integrated on-premise and hosted anti-spam technologies and content filtering. Through integration with Exchange Server, Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server provides high-performance, easily customized antivirus and anti-spam technologies optimized for Exchange environments.
Q. What is included in Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server? A. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server includes:
Multiple engine antivirus and antispyware protection. Multi-layer antispam protection.
File and keyword filter to block out-of-policy content.
Support for Exchange Server 2010 Edge, Hub, and Mailbox roles. New features in Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server include:
Premium antispam protection, with 99% detection rate, less than 1 in 250,000 false positives, and backscatter filtering
New user interface with dashboard view of detection statistics and health monitoring Antispyware scanning provided by the Microsoft Antimalware Engine
Integrated provisioning and management of Forefront Online Protection for Exchange (FOPE) for hybrid, on-premise/hosted protection
Support for Exchange 2010, Windows PowerShell, and Hyper-V Standardized installation using MSI installer
Q. What languages are supported with Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server?
A. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server is localized into 11 languages; English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Russian.
Q. Where can I find product documentation on Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server? A. Documentation for Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server can be found here. Q. Is Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server part of the Exchange Server ECAL Suite? A. Yes. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server is included in the Exchange Server ECAL Suite. Q. Is Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server part of the Forefront Protection Suite?
A. Yes, Forefront Protection for Exchange Server is available as part of the Forefront Protection Suite or can be purchased on a stand-alone basis.
Q. How can I get pricing for Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server?
A. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server pricing is available through your Microsoft account representative or your authorized reseller.
Q. What anti-virus scan engines are included in Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server?
A. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server includes the same set of five antivirus engines used in all Forefront and Antigen server protection products as of Dec. 1, 2009. These include: Microsoft AV, Kaspersky, Norman, VirusBuster, and Authentium. For more information on the engine strategy for Forefront products, visit the Antimalware Engine
Notifications and Developments site.
Q. What versions of Exchange Server does Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server support?
A. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server supports both Exchange Server 2010 and Exchange Server 2007. For customers with Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server with SP1, purchasing Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server will provide downgrade rights to Antigen for Exchange, which supports these earlier versions of Exchange Server.
Q. What is Forefront Online Protection for Exchange?
A. Microsoft Forefront Online Protection for Exchange is a hosted service that consists of layered technologies to help protect businesses’ incoming and outgoing e-mail from spam, viruses, phishing scams, and e-mail policy violations. Forefront Online Protection for Exchange provides comprehensive protection, integration with Exchange Server 2010 and Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server, and simple management, which results in peace of mind for businesses looking to secure their e-mail infrastructure.
Q. How does Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server help protect Exchange Server?
A. Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server provides server-level protection in real time by examining messages as they are in transport (at Edge and Hub servers) and in the store (in Mailbox and Public Folder servers), even when they
come from mobile devices. By using multiple scan engines, the software helps ensure that mail continues to be scanned even if one engine fails or goes offline for updates.
System Requirements
Features and functionality described for Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server release require:
Processor
x64 architecture-based with: Intel Xeon or Intel Pentium family processor that supports Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel EM64T) or AMD Opteron or AMD Athlon 64 processor that supports AMD64 platform.**
Server software
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, or Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 or higher, or Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 ***
Memory
2 gigabytes (GB) of free memory in addition to that required to run Exchange server. For more information about the memory requirements for running Exchange server, consult your Exchange server planning documentation. ****
Hard Disk 2 GB of available disk space. This is in addition to the disk space required for Exchange server. Utilizing a server as a redistribution server for updates requires additional disk space.
Server
A four core server with 2.0 GHz or higher processors is recommended. Lower performing servers are supported, but message throughput is decreased.
Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) 6.0 SP1
Additional Requirements
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 SP 1 Windows Communication Foundation or Microsoft .NETFramework 3.5 (automatically installed with Exchange Server 2010). If you are installing the Microsoft Forefront Online Protection for Exchange Gateway, .NET Framework 3.5 is required.
