Virus Filtering

A generally accepted estimate is that about 99.8% of all computer virus infections come from e-mail. Our experience indicates that between one and two percent of all e-mail is infected.

The computer industry has developed two approaches to virus filtering: one at the PC level and one at the enterprise level.

PC-level protection requires that you install and maintain virus prevention software on every PC. The advantage of this solution is that it not only protects against e-mail infection but also infection from floppy disks, FTP files, etc. However, this approach can also be expensive and very difficult to maintain. The problem is keeping every PC updated. A user may opt to buy virus protection software but end up not keeping it up to date with the latest "signature files," which describe new viruses.

The second approach is to install an enterprise e-mail filter, which looks at all of the e-mail going to one or more e-mail servers. WVNET is currently running this type of virus filtering.

An enterprise e-mail filter has the advantage that it can be maintained at one location, and it protects against the source of approximately 99.8% of all viruses. The virus filtering software we use has been recognized as one of the best available. We get updated virus signatures for any new viruses every hour. There is nothing wrong with using both approaches (i.e., both desktop and enterprise filtering). In fact, many experts recommend that you do this for those administrative PCs over which you have greater control.

The enterprise e-mail filter provided by WVNET protects an institution/agency from external virus infection. We currently use three separate virus scanners to help ensure no infected mail messages get through. It does not protect against infection of one internal user by another internal user. To protect against this type of problem requires the redirecting of internal mail to WVNET for filtering. If you are interested in this additional level of protection, WVNET staff can discuss the pros and cons with you.

SPAM Filtering

More than half of all e-mail coming to our e-mail server is unsolicited advertising called "SPAM." This flood of unwanted e-mail is not just annoying for the user -- it also places a heavy burden on e-mail servers, which handle all of the mail. By putting in place SPAM filters, WVNET has cut the traffic to our e-mail server in half.

Our general approach to filtering SPAM is outlined at www.spamhaus.org/effective_filtering.html.

Benefits

Here are some good reasons to let WVNET filter your email.

• Enjoy professional management of an enterprise-wide filtering solution for SPAM and viruses. This includes constantly updated virus signatures and dynamic access to multiple major SPAM-source databases -- all for one low budgeted cost and with no additional load on your staff. We can do some customization of the SPAM filter depending on your needs.


• Save approximately half of your mail server's capacity by preventing SPAM from ever reaching your server. This avoids unnecessary e-mail server upgrades and reduces the size of mail systems backups.


• Improve user productivity by reducing or eliminating the time spent every day separating the useful correspondence from the useless clutter.


• Create a more wholesome educational environment through the reduction or elimination of salacious solicitations.


• Close the source of as much as 99.8% of the viruses in your organization's computers. This reduces the load on your support services, improves user productivity, protects your intellectual property and administrative resources, and facilitates secure collaboration and information sharing within your campus communities.

Reliability

WVNET uses a commercial virus scanning engine, which updates the virus signature tables every hour. This software runs on RedHat Linux on an IBM x-Series machines with dual CPUs and raid/mirrored disk drives. The hardware was chosen for its reliability; since it is important to have 24x7x365 availability.

WVNET tests all software upgrades on a separate test machine and, after testing, migrates to new software levels on our production servers in the early morning hours or on weekends. Downtime for upgrades is minimal and generally in the 15-30 minute range. WVNET also maintains a spare server readily available in the event of a serious hardware failure.

Pricing

Our standard pricing for this service is $1500 base price per year and one dollar per account per-year. For sites with fewer than 200 accounts WVNET will charge $1,000 per year. For sites with more than 8,000 accounts, WVNET will negotiate a fair price depending on the number of messages per day, the size of the average message, and the number of e-mail accounts involved.

For more information, please contact Jay Justice at (304) 293-5192 x271 or send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Statistics

These statistics show the content of e-mail arriving at WVNET for our customers. Notice that the majority of all e-mail is SPAM - unsolicited advertisements and scams. SPAM is a waste of time and resources, causing many problems for internet users and providers. WVNET uses several state-of-the-art scanning tools to detect and eliminate spam before it ever reaches a customer's mailbox.

A small percentage of e-mail contains viruses. It is important to understand that viruses spread mostly through e-mail, and that even one customer receiving an infected e-mail can transmit the virus to thousands of other internet users. WVNET uses up-to-date virus scanners to disinfect e-mail before our customers receive it.