Console Manages Forefront for Servers

Forefront Protection Server Management Console 2010 was released in Dec. 2010. The follow-on to Forefront Server Security Management Console is now a free download, and it allows central management and reporting for multiple Exchange and SharePoint 2010 servers, thereby improving enterprise control over malware protection. However, the new console can manage only the 2010 versions of Forefront for Exchange and SharePoint; organizations using older versions of Forefront products, or needing to manage Communications Server protection, will have to use the previous Forefront Server Security Management Console.

Central Management of Server Antimalware

Forefront Protection Server Management Console 2010, released in Dec. 2010, allows customers to centrally manage Microsoft’s antimalware products for multiple Exchange and SharePoint servers. The Exchange and SharePoint protection products each have their own consoles for managing a single installation, but organizations with multiserver Exchange or SharePoint deployments often need a central management and reporting facility to better coordinate antimalware across the enterprise. The new, consolidated console provides Web-based, centralized administration. It automatically detects, downloads, and distributes scan engine updates, and it automatically detects new Exchange servers and SharePoint servers, adding protection to them if the organization has deployed Forefront products for those server types. The console provides alerts and reports to administrators and logs all Forefront scanning and cleaning activity. (For an overview, see the illustration “Forefront Protection Server Management Console“.)