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Question

Best Mail Server

Mar 14, 2016 12:16PM PDT

Hello, I'm doing some research about mail servers and would appreciate recommendations. It needs to:

Be compatible with Windows.
Have strong customizable anti-spam and anti-virus features.
Support mailing lists.

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
No one I know runs mail servers on Windows.
Mar 14, 2016 12:59PM PDT

So I'm guessing you want something like Constant Contact. My brother has used them for years.

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Mail Server
Mar 14, 2016 2:36PM PDT
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Most folk don't go down that road.
Mar 14, 2016 3:00PM PDT

Since you can get blacklisted so quickly today folk tend to not do this. It's sad but the most adamant to get their own servers today tend to be spammers. And those are the ones that scream the loudest about black lists.

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Spam
Mar 14, 2016 4:22PM PDT

This is for a business where email communication is vital. Spam has been a big problem and management is looking for a new mail server to better control spam and viruses. It has to be something that can be done from the server, rather than the individual computers. We've been blacklisting spam emails a lot, but the filters for the current mail server only allow about 200 entries on the blacklist and need better virus protection.

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Then you would not put this up on a Windows PC.
Mar 14, 2016 4:33PM PDT

I'd consider that unreliable from the onset. Get your CIO in the room and try again to get folk on the team that have email server experience. Mine is second hand as I task my IT to do this. I only know enough to keep them from trying to cheap out on some Windows app.

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Sure Server
Mar 14, 2016 5:38PM PDT

It's Sure Server, it came with the webhosting. Also it's a customer service business, rather than data processing. There's no CIO, that kind of thing is either hired out or done as a secondary task by employees with some IT knowledge, as it is more cost effective that way. By your comment about Windows I take it you're not a fan of Exchange? I was thinking about looking into that one too. There's a lack of compatibility with non-Windows system, but if that's limited to the server and individual mac users can still check their emails, then it wouldn't be so bad.

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Even Exchange needs some IT type staff.
Mar 14, 2016 6:00PM PDT

And not a fan over initial costs and feeding.

If you don't have a CIO, IT staff then my advice is to not to have your own internal machine for email. All the email systems I've seen from web hosts do work with Windows, Linux, Apple and others. What system is giving you trouble?

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Sure Server
Mar 14, 2016 6:10PM PDT

Sure Server is the webhost, most systems here are Windows, though some users have Mac. The problem is the spam and viruses. We're looking for some way to reduce that, but it can't be on the machine, because people often check their email on their personal computers or phones, so it needs to be filtered before that.

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Putting an email server on your own server
Mar 15, 2016 8:04AM PDT

Will only increase the exposure. Now you may think the email server can be set to scan for virus and such but today's threats are now other than virus.

Not only that but the virus in emails are often something we must install. A little education is all we needed. Don't open attachments. Save them and if some .EXE, MSI or BAT then they are considered toxic.

As to spam, the mail servers do not filter and block viruses on their own. You get that by add ons or other filters.

https://www.google.com/#q=best+email+spam+filter+for+servers finds a lot of titles. Not one is best so no one can answer your question. There is no best so you are left to choose what you think is best.

-> So there it is. You have a lot of work ahead of you or the person that is going to choose and implement this.