Postini Alternative

Ehren8879

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Sep 24, 2004
Messages
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We currently use Postini message filtering to protect roughly a dozen email domains from inbound spam (4000-6000 email boxes). With the news of Google Message Filtering being phased out we're left to find an alternative. So, naturally I've come here to get some recommendations from the community.

We're interested in looking at both a replacement hosted solution as well as bringing the service in house (licensed, racked appliance). Postini was quite good, so function and effective filtering are above cost.

Email users currently have their spam quarantined to a message center which they can log into remotely. As they receive spam, users are emailed reminders to review quaratined messages and can deliver or delete to inbox from there. The message center also allows per user whitelisting and blacklisting. We would prefer to have these same features in our new solution.
 
I use Securence.

Whitelists, blacklists, quarantines, and a shadowcopy. If your internet connection goes down email is held there until it is restored.
 
For clients that we don't have on our own in house solution (Our clients e-mail filters through out office before it goes to their Exchange Servers).....we have some on MXLogic, and AppRiver. AppRiver is very good, support wise. Great people to work with. I just don't like how you have to go in and create a mailbox per user...similar to Postini. Our own solution we don't do that, it's a global filtering service per domain.

For a local appliance, we've had great luck with Untangle pro version with the Spam module. Quarantine digest sent at 6am to each user, viewable through a web link. They can manage their own white lists.
 
For clients that we don't have on our own in house solution (Our clients e-mail filters through out office before it goes to their Exchange Servers).....we have some on MXLogic, and AppRiver. AppRiver is very good, support wise. Great people to work with. I just don't like how you have to go in and create a mailbox per user...similar to Postini. Our own solution we don't do that, it's a global filtering service per domain.

For a local appliance, we've had great luck with Untangle pro version with the Spam module. Quarantine digest sent at 6am to each user, viewable through a web link. They can manage their own white lists.

I've got Untangle on my short list, but hadn't researched the quarantine box or whitelisting features. This is excellent to know, thank you.
 
We signed up with GFI's MaxMail solution. Works well, competitively priced, and offers REPLY access to any undelivered email should the customers ISP/Email system go down.
 
We currently use Postini message filtering to protect roughly a dozen email domains from inbound spam (4000-6000 email boxes). With the news of Google Message Filtering being phased out we're left to find an alternative. So, naturally I've come here to get some recommendations from the community.

We're interested in looking at both a replacement hosted solution as well as bringing the service in house (licensed, racked appliance). Postini was quite good, so function and effective filtering are above cost.

Email users currently have their spam quarantined to a message center which they can log into remotely. As they receive spam, users are emailed reminders to review quaratined messages and can deliver or delete to inbox from there. The message center also allows per user whitelisting and blacklisting. We would prefer to have these same features in our new solution.

I'm confused. Why do you think they are phasing out Postini? The only thing they cut was the continuity product and everything else they are doing is a rebranding of the Postini name over to Google Apps.

I've asked around to make sure they are not going to ax the features we use (encryption, spam filtering and archive) and everyone has said there is no need to worry on that front.

What have you heard?
 
I just started using Postini last year for my personal server. I don't want or need to move e-mail off my server to Gmail.

Prior to last year I had used the Barracuda at work. Since I no longer work there, I can't do that anymore.

So I too am looking for suggestions.
 
I'm confused. Why do you think they are phasing out Postini? The only thing they cut was the continuity product and everything else they are doing is a rebranding of the Postini name over to Google Apps.

I've asked around to make sure they are not going to ax the features we use (encryption, spam filtering and archive) and everyone has said there is no need to worry on that front.

What have you heard?

According to the FAQ and the e-mail you will be transitioned to a Google Apps account and you will have all your e-mail on the Google Servers. Which doesn't work for those of us that have our own e-mail servers.
 
I'm confused. Why do you think they are phasing out Postini? The only thing they cut was the continuity product and everything else they are doing is a rebranding of the Postini name over to Google Apps.

I've asked around to make sure they are not going to ax the features we use (encryption, spam filtering and archive) and everyone has said there is no need to worry on that front.

What have you heard?

Yes, there are Google Apps solutions for your needs, but Google Message Filtering as we use it is going extinct.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57...tire-postini-migrate-features-to-google-apps/
 
According to the FAQ and the e-mail you will be transitioned to a Google Apps account and you will have all your e-mail on the Google Servers. Which doesn't work for those of us that have our own e-mail servers.

What are you talking about? All the FAQs I have read said they will continue to allow on-premise servers. We run a large Exchange setup here ourselves. Can you show me where in the FAQ?

With this transition to Google Apps, you can receive similar email security, protection, and archiving, but through the more robust Google Apps service. Google Apps also works with mail servers such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, so you don’t need to switch to Gmail.
http://support.google.com/postini/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2717451&topic=2717405&ctx=topic

Is there some newer development that I don't know about and they aren't updating?
 
Why not use Google Message Security? Doesn't it function the same way with the same MX handling?

GMS is migrating to Google Business Apps. I don't know if that's going to support the same MX pointing like we use today. However looking at GMS' cost of $12 per user per year, forget that! We pay a lot less than that per user with Postini. I cannot justify that large of a cost increase.

I dont want to pay for features I wont initially use
 
My concern is that Google will just cut features. Also I really need to see what the other side of the transition looks like before I can let my guard down. I understand people jumping ship from this change.
 
Thanks for everyone's input thus far.

Assuming I'm going to jump ship, further suggestions are appreciated.
 
What are you talking about? All the FAQs I have read said they will continue to allow on-premise servers. We run a large Exchange setup here ourselves. Can you show me where in the FAQ?


http://support.google.com/postini/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2717451&topic=2717405&ctx=topic

Is there some newer development that I don't know about and they aren't updating?

When you read through the FAQ at http://support.google.com/postini/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2725303 it doesn't really mention at all keeping your on premise e-mail, it really seems to indicate you will be using GMail.

I skipped over the paragraph that stated "Google Apps also works with mail servers such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, so you don't need to switch to Gmail." in the link you posted,. If you look at the actual FAQ it never indicates at all that e-mail will still be delivered to your premise server.

As far as I was aware Google Apps for business was using branded GMail.

I just wonder how you are going to control your SPAM with IMAP since if you are using Exchange you aren't using IMAP.

Email protection and filtering

Spam quarantine accessible directly in users’ mail client via IMAP
“No touch” user controls. Gmail customizes spam filtering based on how users mark/unmark spam messages.
30-day spam quarantine.
Filters for objectionable content and inappropriate language.
Restrict communications to only approved correspondents
Set HTML compliance footers. Set multiple footers based on different message filters.
Re-write message recipients and re-route messages.
Remove attachments from messages that violate attachment policies.
Set content rules based on message envelope information.
Unbounded approved and blocked sender lists.
Create arbitrary routes or smarthosts based on message attributes.
Set DKIM signing of all outbound messages.
Management features

Ability to configure dual delivery, so that users can use Gmail when your mail server is unavailable
Policy inheritance for user organizations and sub-organizations
Administrative interface available in 28 languages
Access to cloud-based services from Google Apps Marketplace that work with Google Apps.

I might be wrong, I only took a few minutes to read the FAQ this morning.
 
I think the problem is there is Google Apps and Postini. When you read the current Google Apps documentation it may or may not take in Postini language of the future. Again this is the trouble of doing business with Google, you don't talk to google or ask them questions. They announce.

I'm wondering if it would be a second mounted mailbox on the user side that is a imap connection? I honestly don't know.

I'm about to add Archving (We have Postini Security and Encryption). I have a Barracuda Archiver on order for evaluation. Just too many conflicted ideas about what this actual looks like.
 
Barracuda hosted email security will do it for like $5 user per year, and they don't have a hard limit either.

It is pretty cheap to keep it in the cloud or you can purchase their appliacne
 
For clients that we don't have on our own in house solution (Our clients e-mail filters through out office before it goes to their Exchange Servers).....we have some on MXLogic, and AppRiver. AppRiver is very good, support wise. Great people to work with. I just don't like how you have to go in and create a mailbox per user...similar to Postini. Our own solution we don't do that, it's a global filtering service per domain.

For a local appliance, we've had great luck with Untangle pro version with the Spam module. Quarantine digest sent at 6am to each user, viewable through a web link. They can manage their own white lists.

Postini can be scripted to automatically create users.
 
Barracuda only offers users in 50 block groups. So if you have 14 users you still have to buy 50 users. So minimum cost is $400 per year.

Sorry, I might be slightly hijacking this thread as I am dealing with the issue as well.
 
I'm getting close to moving my in-house spam filtering to SpamHero:
http://www.spamhero.com/

Yeah, it's that cheap, and just about every review I read is surprisingly good. I love the setup, where you pay a flat rate per domain, and then pay $1/month for each person that actually needs access to an individual spam console. Where I'm at, nobody needs access but myself, so it's just $5/month*. Has a nice LDAP/AD plugin, so you don't have to manually whitelist your internal emails.

* Yeah, It's technically $5/month for each 100,000 inbound emails per month, so if you're a large company you'll need more, but I'd imagine that 100k limit would cover the vast majority of SMBs like myself.
 
Barracuda only offers users in 50 block groups. So if you have 14 users you still have to buy 50 users. So minimum cost is $400 per year.

Sorry, I might be slightly hijacking this thread as I am dealing with the issue as well.

It fit into the OP's area of 4000 - 6000 mailboxes which is why i suggested it.
 
We signed up with GFI's MaxMail solution. Works well, competitively priced, and offers REPLY access to any undelivered email should the customers ISP/Email system go down.

2nd this. I can't speak for the volume of mailboxes that the OP wants to have filtered, as I only have a handful of clients using the service, less than 30 mailboxes per client. Works well for my clients. Web page quarantine. Daily reminders (can be 2x daily if you want) to check quarantine. Global quarantine rules as well as per user quarantine rules. Addon domain names are free (i.e. [email protected] which forwards to [email protected], [email protected] is filtered for free). Inbound and outbound filtering (outbound is optional). Mail archiving is an optional addon if I recall.
 
I'm giving the Barracuda model 600 appliance a serious look and have put out a couple pricing requests with other hosted providers.

I feel as though Untangle is going to be limited as it doesn't seem to do "store and forward" of email. I have only a couple of the mail servers in my NOC, all others are hosted elsewhere or by the customers themselves.

Right now it seems like the Barracuda box is going to be the cheapest. No per user fees, just software update contracts and device replacement contracts if necessary.
 
I have our reseller getting us a Evaluation unit of the Barracuda for archiving. I'll continue to spam/encrypt via Postini but I may find myself jumping ship. The break even on these units seem to be almost about a year when compared to Postini.

I love handing things over to a service but it is like death by a thousand little cuts to my budget items.
 
My employer uses (and resells) MX Logic (I guess technically now called McAfee SaaS). It works very well and pricing is reasonable. They have a message continuity feature as well that allows access to new mail if the Internet connection drops or the mail server is down.
 
I'm giving the Barracuda model 600 appliance a serious look and have put out a couple pricing requests with other hosted providers.

I feel as though Untangle is going to be limited as it doesn't seem to do "store and forward" of email. I have only a couple of the mail servers in my NOC, all others are hosted elsewhere or by the customers themselves.

Right now it seems like the Barracuda box is going to be the cheapest. No per user fees, just software update contracts and device replacement contracts if necessary.

It also does email encryption, its ok, i have not used it a whole lot
 
BTW you guys may find this amusing. While watching a youtube video the pre-ad was from Barracuda targeting folks "Left high and dry by Postini to Google apps migration".

They even made a custom page for it.

https://www.barracudanetworks.com/postini

The more I dig into the postini topic the less I am feeling good that Google will handle this well.
 
Check out Mailroute and Spamsoap if you want straight up, no nonsense inexpensive filtering, continuity & archiving.
The more I read on Postini, the more I dislike Google period!
 
Check out Mailroute and Spamsoap if you want straight up, no nonsense inexpensive filtering, continuity & archiving.
The more I read on Postini, the more I dislike Google period!

Thanks for the suggestions.

Yeah, Google has really put us out on street with this move.
 
Exchange defender is great cheap as well.

MXLogic is good but a pain to get an account.
 
Forefront for Exchange works really well for me- I have a small newspaper as a customer and they get ALOT of spam- Forefront knocked it dead, no complaints.
 
That had to be the longest advertisment post i have ever seen lool
Maybe I've gotten jaded in my old age, but I actually appreciate the upfront nature of the advertisement, as apposed to the shills we've got around here. It's more honest.
 
I'm using Reflexions, ForeFront, and a Barracuda 300. And my favorite has to be the Barracuda. It does an amazing job filtering spam and virus, with amazing levels of control. My unit was getting old and starting to become extremely slow to respond, a 5 minute call and they shipped me a replacement.
 
Maybe I've gotten jaded in my old age, but I actually appreciate the upfront nature of the advertisement, as apposed to the shills we've got around here. It's more honest.

Oh I agree and its pretty unbiased, and actually gave some good info lol, but it was still a long advertisement.
 
I'm testing SpamSoap for my home domain and it is working good so far.

In the process of contacting Postini to find out when our contract date is up with Postini as no one here knows much about our Postini, other than we paid for it at some point and it works. Since we are a edu I wonder if we are moved to Google Apps would we have free Email filtering?
 
Forefront for Exchange works really well for me- I have a small newspaper as a customer and they get ALOT of spam- Forefront knocked it dead, no complaints.

Seriously Op look into hosted Forefront. It just works. I hate to use a cliche term like that but really... I have not touched it since we swapped. It is amazing. False positives are also as close to 0% as possible. If your users are used to logging into the Postini site and checking their quarantine it works exactly the same. Anyone can log in and check the list of blocked emails and release any that should not have been blocked, but honestly pretty much no one in the company bothers because it does not block anything they needed.
 
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