Forefront for Communications Server

A new beta of Forefront Security for Communications Server scans instant message (IM) traffic and protects organizations against viruses, spam, and inappropriate or dangerous content contained in IM and files transferred by IM. It works with Communications Server 2007 and 2007 R2, harnesses multiple virus scan engines from Microsoft and third parties, and provides configurable message blocking based on content, attachments, or source. Forefront Security for Communications Server will be released in Mar. 2009 but will not be included in the first release of Microsoft’s planned security suite, code-named Stirling.

Multiple Scanning Engines

Protecting application servers is critical because their resources are shared among clients and malware can spread throughout an organization very quickly as users on client devices send and receive e-mail, copy or upload files, exchange IM, and browse Web sites. Most organizations already have antivirus and antispam protection for their e-mail systems because e-mail is a common way for malicious content to enter an organization from the Internet. However, IM can also be a vector for malware and many organizations need antimalware solutions for their IM infrastructure.