Policy Patrol is offered in multiple modules and provides content filtering and management tools for Exchange or Lotus Domino mail servers on Windows 2000 Server+ platforms; MS Live Communications Server 2005; and now, ISA Server (2000/2004). The three primary product offerings are Policy Patrol Email, Policy Patrol IM, and the newest offering, Policy Patrol Web.

The Policy Patrol Email product is sold in separate versions focused on content compression, anti-spam filtering, and automatic application of disclaimers; with a separate Enterprise version offering all the features of the other three versions combined in addition to several unique features of its own.

Filtering and operational rules governing the Policy Patrol activities can be defined by the administrator and applied to individual users for both sent and received E-mail messages. A Policy Patrol Administration console can be installed on a remote machine providing remote access to the Policy Patrol installation; multiple Policy Patrol installations can be managed from the same Administration console. Policy Control filters and tasks work primarily on external E-mail messages; however, the Exchange 2000/2003 version of Policy Patrol can apply filtering/task rules to internally sent messages as well.

The individual Policy Patrol Email versions available as of this writing include:

- Policy Patrol Zip, which allows for the automated compression/decompression--at the server--of inbound or outbound E-mail attachments on a user-by-user basis.

- Policy Patrol Disclaimers allows for the automatic application of disclaimer messages to E-mail messages on a global or user-specific level. Features include support for HTML formatting (including pictures and tables), merge fields, and disclaimer attachments. Disclaimers can be set to be appended or prepended, as well as applied after the last entered message text. Additionally, the existing message can be auto-scanned for already existing disclaimers, avoiding adding redundant disclaimers to reply or forwarded messages.

- Policy Patrol Spam Filter provides anti-spam capabilities via Bayesian filtering, header and keyword analysis (including word pattern matching), RBLs, SURBLs, illegal HTML checks, remote images, etc. Identified spam messages can be quarantined, deleted, or modified with a specified header or tag. Additional filtering features and parameters include IP addresses, number of recipients (messages sent to a large number of recipients can be considered spam) and user-maintained white/black lists. Deleted, delayed and quarantined messages can be monitored from the Policy Patrol Administration console (locally and remotely) or from a web browser (Policy Patrol Web Manager).

- Policy Patrol Enterprise includes all of the features provided in the three other Policy Patrol versions, and additionally includes several unique features including key word/key phrase scanning; attachment scanning/stripping; optional anti-virus scanning (via the Kapersky Anti-Virus Engine); automated blind copy messages and archiving to XML, CSV, or SQL archives.

Policy Patrol Email also supports SURBL (Spam URL Real-time Block Lists). SURBL entries are maintained by 3rd party organizations and list URLs that, when appearing within the content of an E-mail message, should be considered spam; helping to classify messages that have little text and/or are image based with only a URL presented.

Policy Patrol IM works with Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005 and provides content filtering/blocking; the addition of disclaimers; and user access to past IM sessions.

Policy Patrol Web, the newest entry in the Policy Patrol line, works with Microsoft ISA Server (2000/2004) and provides content filtering and monitoring specifically for Internet traffic. Specific capabilities include URL checking, keyword filtering, file checking, virus/spyware blocking and real-time monitoring. Administrators can define URL categories, and apply user quotas and/or time limits to each category to restrict bandwith usage; and URL access can be controlled via both black and white listing features.

Policy Patrol is available now. Visit the Red Earth Software Web site for further information.