Microsoft to sign anti-spam agreement
Published: 05 May 2004 09:15 BST
Microsoft is expected to announce on Wednesday a partnership with IronPort, adopting its anti-spam protections for MSN and Hotmail email.
Under the agreement, Microsoft will use Ironport's "bonded sender" email certification program, according to Ironport representatives. That means that Microsoft will defer to Ironport's list of qualifying senders before allowing their email through its gates.
Ironport operates a certification program, or what some call a whitelist, that requires bulk emailers to pony up a financial bond before qualifying to send messages to its customers. If emailers breach good practices, a debt will be taken from their bond.
The deal feeds into Microsoft's corporate mandate to squelch spam. Adopting the certification service will be among several approaches the software giant is taking for its MSN Internet service and free Web-based email service Hotmail.
For example, Microsoft is developing an email authentication system, or caller ID for email, that would verify legitimate senders. Microsoft also maintains a long-standing relationship with spam-filtering company Brightmail.
Outside of its bonded sender program, Ironport sells email server appliances designed to secure mail delivery with virus protection and antispam software. The company also owns a blacklist service, Spamcop, which broadcasts Internet Protocol addresses used to send junk mail so that third parties can refer to it to fend off spam.
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