Spam is now a prime concern for businesses: in 2005 alone, this phenomenon will cost companies around the world $50 billion, according to estimates from Ferris Research. Just in the United States, losses are set to total $17 billion. And the problem is on the increase: The Radicati Group estimates that the cost of spam to businesses by 2007 will be $198 billion. Approximately 40 percent of all email sent every day is spam.

To combat this plague, it is essential to implement effective perimeter protection solutions to block the threat at the point of entry. Hardware devices, such as Panda Software’s GateDefender 8000 series can, through gateway protection, maximize productivity and generate a rapid return on investment. Optimum anti-spam protection at the entry point minimizes the impact of this threat on the rest of the network, protecting users completely and transparently without affecting network performance.

These devices include the most advanced anti-spam protection, with technology from MailShell, a leading provider of email solutions. The system performs two types of scans: the first is an automated operation integrating four engines that sequentially scan each message using more than 300,000 algorithms and a range of multifunctional techniques to optimize efficiency. Every message is either classified as spam, probable spam or not spam.

The second, personalized by the user, includes the possibility of defining white lists and blacklists of senders, giving the tool maximum customization potential. Administrators separately define actions to take on messages classified as spam and probable spam. Additionally, administrators can also set the sensitivity of the scan system to reduce the possibility of false positives. This administration is carried out through a straightforward Web console, which also includes a powerful tool for generating reports.