London, UK, 20 July 2001 - GFI, leading developer of email content checking & anti-virus software, has launched Mail essentials for Exchange/SMTP 5.0. Mail essentials is an email content checking and anti-virus solution that protects corporate email users against all types of email-borne threats, such as viruses, dangerous attachments, email attacks, spam and offensive content.

Mail essentials for Exchange/SMTP 5 runs with Windows NT and incorporates a number of features that were previously only available with the Windows 2000 version of the product. For example, it now offers a simpler interface, based on the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). This new version also allows the network administrator to set up various rules for attachment and content checking, and apply them to groups of users and/or individual users, as needed.

"Responding to a continuing strong demand for the Windows NT version of Mail essentials, GFI decided to issue a new NT version that incorporates all the enhancements offered in Mail essentials 2000 that runs with Windows 2000," said Nick Galea, GFI CEO.

"An added bonus is that with Mail essentials 5, NT users who upgrade to Windows 2000 do not need a new Mail essentials serial number to upgrade to the Windows 2000 version of the product. This further increases the great value for money and cost-effectiveness offered by Mail essentials."

Mail essentials 5 replaces version 3.5 as the build for those who have not switched to Windows 2000. Windows 2000 users, in the meantime, can avail themselves of Mail essentials 2000.

About Mail essentials
Mail essentials can block emails and attachments containing VB script (such as the LoveLetter virus), Windows scripting, and Java scripts at email server level. It can also automatically remove Word macros and disable HTML mail scripts, without the need for the email to be quarantined. This way, it protects users from current and future email viruses, as well as from email attacks, that is, one-off viruses designed to break into a network.

Mail essentials is the market leading email content checking solution with more than 10,000 servers sold since its launch. Mail essentials has a number of unique features that other content checking solutions do not offer, such as advanced Exchange integration, approval and rejection of mails through email clients and via Exchange public folders, integrated DLL scanner included in the price, server-based PGP encryption, and more.

Also, Mail essentials is the most cost-effective product in its field. The 50-user version, for instance, costs US$895, while the 500-user version costs US$2,995. Pricing starts at US$350 for 10 users.

Besides scanning for email threats, Mail essentials offers key email features such as the addition of a disclaimer to each outgoing email, an anti-spam module, email use reports, archiving of all email, POP3 downloader, and personalised auto replies. More information can be found at http://www.gfi.com/me/index.html.