General FAQ's
What makes Red Condor different from other spam solutions?
Red Condor uses a unique combination of next generation technology that achieves more accurate spam, virus and phishing blocking while reducing the number of legitimate emails that are incorrectly identified as spam (known as false positives). We also have feedback loops to further investigate all reported spam to build custom rules in real time rather than simple relying on unreliable heuristics, DNS blacklists, or Bayesian filters used by other solutions.
How does Red Condor identify spam?
The Red Condor Security Operations Center (SOC) in Rohnert Park, California is up and running 24x7x365. The SOC is staffed by some of the top technical experts in the areas of spam and email security. On top of our deep, multi-layered session layer defense technology, filter stack and custom-built rule set, we have something really special – the SOC.
The SOC investigates bulk email that is captured from numerous decoy mailboxes. When we receive a suspected spam, we analyze and classify its content and the sender. If it is truly spam, we create a precise rule to match that spammer or campaign. Because the rules are highly-targeted, they do not accidentally match legitimate email such as first-time customer inquiries or newsletter subscriptions.
We currently apply 40,000 active spam rules and 80,000 virus rules to every message that we filter. Rules are refined and updated continuously, and new updates are performed every few minutes. And the rules are just one of the layers in our email engine.
How much spam is blocked?
Our average spam block rate has been validated by a third party independent testing firm at 99.991%. To read more, click here (.pdf).
How can I trust that Red Condor is not blocking legitimate email?
A single false positive that accidentally blocks an important email can be very costly to your organization, so it is very important to minimize mistakes - a responsibility that Red Condor takes seriously. Our false positive rate is near zero, as verified by a third party independent testing firm. To read more, click here (.pdf).
Do you screen my confidential email?
No. We respect your privacy. If you send messages to the SOC for manual review or support, we will generate a rule for them and may need to dissect them but are not generally interested in the content.
What email servers does Red Condor work with?
Red Condor is fully RFC-2821 compliant and operates with all RFC-2821 SMTP servers, including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, Novell GroupWise, Merak, Eudora and many others including most open source Linux-based email platforms. Red Condor can also work with Cisco PIX and other firewalls.
If my email server goes down, will I lose email messages?
No. Red Condor will spool all your email messages for up to 96 hours. When your server comes back online, your email will be released to your server. You can also call our support line and talk about your situation if you need special help or support with a larger problem.
If the Red Condor email servers go down, will I lose email messages?
No. Our business is protecting your email, no matter what. To protect our servers Red Condor maintains a variety of email spoolers that will queue email messages in the rare event of an outage.
Will the filtering cause my email to be delayed?
The filtering process is important and saves you a considerable about of time, energy, and anguish. The average delay caused by our filtering process is about 3 seconds. In some cases, filtering can take longer depending on a variety of conditions. At Red Condor, we’re committed to protecting you from attacks, while getting you your email in a timely fashion.
Is there really nothing to install?
Not a thing. There’s absolutely nothing to install for our hosted service. Just sign up, point your email to our servers, and no spam! If you get a MAG-series appliance, you just plug it in, configure the setting options for your network and email system, and you should be online filtering spam in no time.
Can I still use Red Condor if I only have a few mailboxes?
Our smallest license is for 5 mailboxes. You also need to own and manage your own domain for those mailboxes. Red Condor is not available if your email is provided by a large hosted email provider like AOL, Yahoo, HotMail, or Google.
Can I use Red Condor with my personal mailbox on a domain where other people don’t use Red Condor?
Sorry, not yet anyway. But we’re working on it. If you wish to be notified when our personal service is available, please send us an email.
What is the Red Condor Warranty?
If you buy a MAG-series network appliance, Red Condor offers a comprehensive hardware warranty included in the service pack. The Warranty insures that your MAG appliance will be covered in case of any problems, and that your protection will continue uninterrupted. Warranties can be purchased for either 1 year or 3 years at this time.
What are Service Updates, and do I need to get them?
Service Updates give you the latest protection from Red Condor. If you buy a MAG-series network appliance you need to subscribe to our Service Packs, which provides your MAG appliance with the latest spam blocking protection such as real time rule updates, virus protection, and hacking attack updates. Service Packs can be purchased for either 1 year or 3 years at a time. Service Packs are only necessary for MAG appliances, if you use our hosted service they are already included in the price.