XD Bug Fixes / Updates
Hey guys,
Over the past two weeks we’ve been fixing some of the little bugs and initiating some error trapping to improve the overall experience within Exchange Defender. We’ve been focusing on error trapping the account creation stage, making it easier to set up accounts correctly, and other stuff of that nature.
Updates:
• Account creation will now check for aliases before submitting, if an alias for the email address you are trying to create already exists and is tied to another account it will notify you of an issue. We’ve also configured it to check Distribution Groups, External Contacts and everything else to avoid having problems such as those pop up on account creation.
• All columns in the Service Manager are sort-able by their names, email addresses, domains.
• The Distribution Group tab now alphabetizes the list of users to make it easier to search through and search for users that are added or need to be added. The list is divided, the top of the list is email addresses added to the user group and the bottom of the list has External Contacts that have been added to the Distribution Group (each one is organized alphabetically).
• We fixed a bug with the CC Expiration Date for card holders using the year 2020. It would revert the CC Expiration date to show 2018.
• The Spam Quarantine for users now has a few options to make checking, deleting, or approving spam easier. It also has had some visibility tweaks / improvements to the message description format.
• We’ve gone through and fixed some of the errant CSS Style errors that were prevalent on some of our lesser used webpages and fixed some of the branding issues that existed on some of the pages in the admin portal.
LocalCloud – Update
Today I’ve published an update for LocalCloud, which addresses a few issues that would result in a failure to upload a file. This issue would only occur under certain conditions and was only prevalent in large files It’s turns out this was a result of a known bug inside the .NET framework and how it handles event notifications for the filing system. In addition to resolving this bug, I’ve also implemented a few performance enhancements that should make the application run smoother.
Download: http://www.exchangedefender.com/software/XDStorage.exe
If you’re running a previous version make sure to uninstall it first. However, we’ve upgraded to a new installation platform and all future updates will be patched automatically.
Several months ago we added the LocalCloud feature set into our ExchangeDefender mobile application for both the iPhone and Android. Now you have the ability to access your files from your desktop, mobile workstation and practically any mobile device!
If you have never heard of LocalCloud, it’s a cloud based storage solution for documents. It recognizes multiple file types and is 100% compatible with office applications. You can share documents between computers and even allow other individuals access to your files. With multiple access points comes great responsibility, for this we have access control. This feature allows you or another individual to “check-out” files to prevent accidental overwrites while the data is exchanged in the cloud.
Hosted Exchange – Configuration Checker
Throughout the day we receive hundreds of requests for new services and existing account modifications. Luckily we automated this process from a very early stage and this helped to prevent 99% of account provisioning errors. Believe it or not, there was once a time where everything was processed manually!
However on occasion when there is a hiccup, then it’s simple a matter of locating the source of the issue. While issues on our end are rather easy to diagnose and fix, it’s not always as simple on the partner’s side. There can be a handful of issues that can arise if the account is not properly configured or contains an invalid parameter.
This is why we’ve implemented a well overdue feature integrated directly inside the service manager. If you select the drop down box next to any Hosted Exchange account, you will see a new option called “Check Configuration”.
After selecting this option you will be brought directly to the “Check Configuration” page. It will automatically populate the email address from the previous screen and run the initial check. Also keep in mind that you are able to test other accounts without leaving this page.
It will perform several checks including: Syntax, Server Location, Provisioning, MX Record, Autodiscover and validates that the account is protected by ExchangeDefender. In the event an issue arises you have the option to either “Email” or “Open Ticket” which will automatically include the onscreen results.
We believe that solving the issue promptly makes for a better long term relationship. So if there are any features or adjustments we can make to help smooth the transaction between you and your clients, don’t hesitate to let us know! Our support staff eagerly awaits the opportunity to speak with you about how we can continue to improve our process!
ExchangeDefender – Licensing (Enhanced)
Over the years we’ve always had a desire to increase the aspects of reporting in several areas. However due to time restraints and prioritizing our efforts towards ensuring we made our platform completely stable and continuing to provide a rock solid solution, we had to defer until later.
This has been the case for the last few years. We all worked insane hours to ensure that everyone had an awesome product, that they would be proud to call their own! Now we are enjoying the fruits of our labor and focusing on creating more of the eye popping visual features that will really help showcase our product!
As a result, I’m proud to showcase one of our latest ExchangeDefender features.
While signed in as a (Service Provider) account, you can view the licensing page located under: Licensing->Management. Here you could see the total seat count for the desired domain at a glance. We’ve expanded this to also include the ability to list each individual account under the domains. This is a toggle-able option that is off by default to help limit the initial page load for those who don’t want the extra information.
Not only that, you also have the ability to save and download a PDF of the current view. This has been highly requested by several users as to provide them the ability to keep archived copies of their seat counts each month for financial records. Other users have simply expressed the need to print these reports, which we have also implemented with one click access.
Lastly we understand that our partner’s clients also like to be kept in the loop about their spam information from time to time. Listed next to every domain is the ability to view and print the current SPAM statistics for that account. All of this information is simply one click away, quick and easy access to the information your clients want to see!
Stay tuned we’re working on even more exciting features to help ease the load of bringing a new client on-board and continuing to manage that account!
Outlook Add-In (New Features)
Over the past few weeks, we’ve improved some core functionality inside of our Outlook SMTP Security Platform. We’ve reviewed customer feedback on a few issues, features requests and overall usability. In addition to the software improvements, we’ve introduced a new feature available to all ExchangeDefender Pro customers (not available in Essentials).
This new feature is called the Robot Filter. The feature allows for automatic processing of newsletters into a sub folder within your inbox. Messages that are deemed to match the extensive rule set are quickly processed and sent to this folder.
This works for existing (unread) messages and new messages that arrive after Outlook has been launched. Also if you come across a message that was missed, you can use the “Flag Robot” button to report that sender and catch future messages. Now when you come into work, you don’t have to spend hours going through your daily newsletters. However these messages will still exist perfectly save inside of the Robot Filter folder to be reviewed at your convenience. In the event you locate a message that you don’t want flagged, you may click the button that says “Always Inbox” to have the rules skip the designated sender.
You may also use the “Report Spam” anywhere inside of your inbox to quickly flag a message and submit the headers to us for improved filter results.
Use our product and if your not happy tell us how to improve, that’s all we ask!
Your feedback shapes our future developments, so tell us what you need.
Mobile – XD Business Communicator
XD Business Communicator is one of our latest additions to our mobile software suite. Extending the functionality and portability of our ExchangeDefender product line, this app keeps your connected!
Quarantine
You have the ability to manage your SPAM & SURESPAM quarantines. You can view each message in real time with a life preview pulled directly from our secure network. In the event you come across a message that has been caught by mistake, you can release the message for delivery. You also have the ability to whitelist (trust) a sender to ensure future mail delivery from that specified contact.
Encryption
Another useful feature packaged within the mobile application is the ability to generate an e-mail message ready for encryption. This feature will start a new message with [Encrypt] prepended to the subject line. This will ensure the message is sent through our encryption mail delivery channels. The only thing left for you to do is enter the recipient and message body and hit send.
LiveArchive
In the event of a catastrophic failure and your mail server is down or inaccessible, you have direct access to your live archive account. By clicking the button labeled Livearchive you will be signed directly into your business continuity account. This provides a quick and workable solution in the event of an emergency!
2FA
This feature is one of our newest additions. If you have 2FA enabled on your ExchangeDefender profile, this will allow you to generate a one-time use authentication code to access your account. Upon attempting to sign-in to your online profile, you will be prompted for the 2FA code which will be available on this mobile device. Those who required increased security, this is the feature that will help bring that comfort home!
About
We’re constantly providing updates to our applications. The about page display general information about the application and information about what’s changed between software revisions.
SMTP Security Outlook 2010, 2013 & Desktop Client – Major Update
Today we’ve published an update to the Outlook 2010, 2013 and Desktop Client SMTP Security application. This update addresses several bugs, performance issues and even a few feature requests!
- We’ve added the ability to view and manage alias accounts. (See Figure 1)
- An issue where the submission of multiple spam messages at once has been fixed.
- Messages submitted as SPAM are now sent to the “Junk” folder.
- Fixed several performance issues relating to “Hanging” or “Freezing”.
- We’ve fixed the issue that was causing the “Add-In” tab to be renamed.
- We’ve added the ability to disable the automatic refresh cycle. (See Figure 2)
- Fixed an issue that was causing compliance messages to not populate.
- Fixed an issue that caused the quick links to not work correctly. (See Figure 3)
If you currently have the add-in installed, simply close and re-launch outlook. If you had our most recent version previously, the add-in should automatically update. However, if you notice that an automatic update did not occur, simply uninstall the old version and obtain the latest version.
Downloads
Figure 1 – Ability to view and manage alias accounts.
You alias accounts will populate in this list in the order of the main account, then followed by domain and users alphabetically.
Figure 2 – Ability to disable automatic refresh intervals.
You now have the option to disable the automatic synchronization.
Figure 3 – Fixed an issue that caused the quick links to not work correctly.
Clicking this link will sign you into your web management console automatically!
Compliance Archive – Improved Searching!
Over the last month we have been in the process of improving the architecture behind Compliance Archive. Your information has already been migrated into this new compliance standard and we were able to do this with very little noticeable downtime. The main reason for this improvement was to help enhance database performance and finally be able to offer advance searching and audit reports.
To give you an idea, on the old architecture an advanced report would take roughly 20-30 minutes and would typically time out due to (multiple refreshes) or a user’s browser becoming unresponsive. So before we built the GUI to allow for these searches, we had to get this under control.
Now with the new system not only do searches come back typically within 3-4 minutes, they are scheduled jobs. So you type in your search, submit your criteria and either wait or check back once they have finished. The best part is, you can REPEAT your searches once they’ve finished! So let’s say you’re required to perform the same mundane search once a month, now you can with only a few clicks!