MailProtect
MailProtect is an email filtering service, offering users versatile functionality and protection from email-borne spam, viruses, and abuse.
USOSync is available to LGfL schools as an optional extra service.
Why use MailProtect?
World-class mail filtering for schools
MailProtect uses email filtering technology provided by multiple, world-class, security partners, assembled into a coherent, school and LA-focussed set of tools accessible via a secure custom website.
MailProtect protects users against all types of email-borne threats, including viruses, spam and pornography - as well as less familiar but equally insidious dangers like phishing and Denial of Service attacks.
The service employs multiple antivirus scanning products to recognise existing and new dangers and protect users from ‘zero hour’ attacks. Similar multi-level processes are used to identify spam messages. Emails that are trapped by the active filters are held in quarantine and can later be released by authorised users if necessary.
School level control
School staff can log into the custom interface and view a log of scanned messages relating to any of their personal email addresses. The details of any emails blocked by MailProtect can be examined, and “false positives” can be released (unless they are believed to contain viruses).
In addition, these users can add trusted senders to a personal “allow” list so that future messages are exempt from spam checks, and/or opt to receive daily “spam digest” emails which offer proactive notification about blocked messages.
School domain administrator control
For domain administrators, the web-based management interface provides a range of options for controlling the filtering system, viewing the message logs, and gathering statistics about system usage.
Options available within the configuration system include the creation of rules which modify the behaviour of the filtering system (perhaps to allow or block all messages originating from a specific sender), and the enforced application of standard signatures to all messages passing through the system.
Full reporting capability
Reporting facilities are extensive and include the ability to export log records as well as the visualisation of throughput data in a variety of graphical styles which allows:
- System performance to be checked
- The proportions of infected and unsolicited mail to be seen
- The rankings of most popular inbound and outbound addresses to be calculated
If a domain administrator chooses to grant access to the web-based management interface for an individual user, then a subset of the reporting facilities becomes available, with the visible data filtered to show only the relevant email address. In this way, users can view and search message logs, and release any messages that have been erroneously marked as spam.
Daily spam reports for all users by email
One special option that is available to individual users is the generation of a daily report, in the form of a single email, which lists all spam messages that have been trapped during the past 24 hours. This reassures users that no important messages are being lost in the system, thereby reducing administrative overheads.
