Spam Information (Computer Services)
What Is Spam?
SPAM is a name given to unsolicited email promoting goods and services found on the Internet. SPAM is also referred to as junk mail. SPAM is also frequently used to promote illegal goods and services.
Is SPAM really a problem?
SPAM is a huge problem on the Internet. Most business rely heavily on keeping in contact with other businesses or staff members using Internet-based email. The volume of SPAM on the Internet now exceeds the volume of legitimate email. This means that the average email box is inundated with messages. Most of these messages are not business related and cost you both time and money to sort through.
Computer Services monitors the spam rate coming into the College. On the average day Confederation College receives 25,000 email messages. Approximately 21,000 email messages or 84 percent of the email is automatically identified as SPAM.
Does Confederation College use Anti-Spam software?
Confederation College does employ Anti-Spam tools to help battle this growing problem. The College uses the NEMX Anti-Spam package on the Exchange Email server to filter out email before it gets to your personal email box.
There are two levels of email filter in the NEMX package. One level uses a database of known sites that are sending spam. This filter will reject email coming from one of those sites. The second level of email filter is called a “concept” filter. This email filter will analyze the incoming email message content and will reject emails that seem to be spam because of the type of content, or the way that it is presented in the email message.
Confederation College also offers a premium Anti-Spam package for users that receive large volumes of College email on a regular basis. The premium package uses a number of different algorithms to filter out SPAM email.
How do I get the Anti-Spam Software?
The NEMX software is already installed on our mail server. You do not have to put in a request to get this service. The Premium Anti-Spam package on the other hand must be purchased. To receive this service, please contact the Helpdesk at 475-6488 (ext. 6488), or email the helpdesk at [email protected]. The request will be entered in our Trackit Trouble Ticket system and a technician will contact you to arrange for the purchase and installation of the premium package.
Is there a charge to use the Anti-Spam software?
Computer Services has purchased a maintenance agreement for the NEMX Anti-SPAM tool and we offer this service to the College Community free-of-charge.
Computer Services also offers a premium Anti-Spam packaged called “Spam Inspector”. This package is installed on select employee computers and it filters email when it is received on the desktop. This package will be billable.