Highly scalable system
The Barracuda Spam Firewall's robust and scalable
design enables it to handle email networks of
over 10,000 active email users. It can process
over 10 million email messages per day. That
is a lot of email. With different models available
for different mail loads, multiple Barracuda
systems can be employed and easily configured
for redundancy or additional load capability.
No software to install
No modifications to your existing email system
Deploying the Barracuda Spam Firewall is easy.
Just plug in your Barracuda Spam Firewall, accept
the default settings or make any changes you'd
like and you're ready to go. There is no software
to install. There are no modifications to your
existing system. It's that easy. Most customers
are up and running in only 5 minutes.
Independent network device
dedicated to spam-blocking
The Barracuda Spam Firewall is a self-sufficient
networking device that handles all your spam-blocking
so it does not bog down your email servers.
In fact, with the Barracuda Spam Firewall, the
load on your email system is actually reduced.
Your email servers will process and store less
incoming email. The performance of your email
servers will increase.
Blocks spam using proven
methods
By using all the best methods to block spam,
the Barracuda Spam Firewall provides comprehensive
spam-blocking for your company. Below are the
primary algorithms employed to block spam. Barracuda
Networks generally recommends targeting approximately
97% blockage. However, a number of parameters
are provided for adjustments if necessary.
- Blacklisting of websites
& domains: Barracuda Central maintains
an up to date list of the largest and most
aggressive known spammers. This list is maintained
by both Barracuda and other anti-spam groups.
This list is automatically updated on each
Barracuda Spam Firewall.
- Keyword scanning of
emails: This can be configured on a per
user basis. The scanning methods include a
scoring system such that emails are scored
based on a number of criteria. If the score
is above a threshold, then that email is flagged
as spam. The Barracuda Spam Firewall comes
with default criteria and thresholds but you
may change these.
- Checksum technology:
Barracuda Central monitors email traffic through
the Internet and uses checksum technology
to keep track of the number of times a particular
message has appeared on the Internet. If a
message has appeared over a certain number
of times, it is categorized as known spam.
Checksums of known spam messages are utilized
by the Barracuda Spam Firewall to block spam
messages.
- Message authenticity
checking: Several algorithms are utilized
to verify the authenticity of a message. Some
of these are simple checks to verify that
the "from address" is authentic. Some are
more complex relating to SMTP protocol.
- Blacklists and Whitelists:
Domains, IP's, and email addresses can
be blocked or whitelisted (allowed through).
These lists may be maintained on a per user
basis or on a corporate basis.
- Rate controls: Utilized
to stop denial of service attacks as well
as dictionary based spam attacks. These are
integrated and automatic in the Barracuda
Spam Firewall.
- File type attachment
blocking: You can block certain types
of files, such as vbl scripts, from entering
your company.
User-based and corporate-based
filtering
The decision on what types of emails to block
can be made either at the end-user or at various
corporate levels. You have the flexibility to
decide where you'd like the decision to be made.
Suspect emails get quarantined
There are three main types of emails: emails
that you want, emails that you do not want (spam),
and emails that are suspect. The Barracuda Spam
Firewall can tag suspect emails for delivery
into a separate folder. You can then either
have the end user or another designated person
be the final judge of what to do with these
suspect emails. If after 30 days no action is
taken, the message is deleted.
Optional bulk mailboxes
for users
Barracuda Spam Firewall provides optional bulk
inboxes so that users can direct spam messages
straight into these areas. This prevents spam
from cluttering up their main mail system. These
bulk email boxes can be checked periodically
or ignored.
Automatic system updates
A team of engineers work at Barracuda Networks'
special operations center, Barracuda Central,
to monitor the Internet for trends in spam and
virus attacks. As they detect trends, updates
are created for the Barracuda Spam Firewall.
Your Barracuda Spam Firewall can then automatically
update itself without any intervention. There
is no need to retrieve anything. No need to
tune anything. Maintaining your Barracuda Spam
Firewall to deliver maximum protection is that
easy.
Logs and reports on email
statistics
System administrators can view logs or generate
reports at any time from the desktop. It's quick,
easy, hassle-free administration.
No per user charges
Barracuda Spam Firewall pricing is simple. There
are three Barracuda Spam Firewall models. Each
one is designed to handle different active user
and email loads. There are no per user charges.
Each model comes with both spam-blocking and
virus-checking capabilities.
Multiple domains
& servers
A single Barracuda Spam Firewall can be used
for multiple email servers and for multiple
domains.