WASP 2: the Latest GWAVA’s Spam and Anti-virus Solution for GroupWise WebAccess

GWAVA, a Novell technology partner for GroupWise (a cross-platform collaborative software product offering email, calendaring, instant messaging and document management), has recently released the latest version of WASP 2, a spam and anti-virus solution for GroupWise WebAccess.

WASP 2 (Web Access Server Protection version 2) has more detailed control of content filtering and a new user notification system. Unlike the previous version, WASP 2 is cross-platform and runs natively on NetWare and Linux. It can also be used in the remote mode of Windows. However, for this purpose GroupWise WebAccess must be running on a separate Windows Server (IIS or Apache). Native Windows support is planned together with upgrades to GWAVA 4 (spam and anti-virus for the GroupWise client).

When compared to the earlier version, WASP 2 has been totally redesigned and now provides many features used in GWAVA 4. Both GWAVA 4 and WASP 2 have the same installation and management interface. Therefore, WASP 2 and GWAVA 4 can be used together. In case GWAVA 4 is not installed, WASP installs the GWAVA 4 administration interface and the only scanner available is a WASP Scanner.

Below you can see a screenshot that indicates how a new WASP scanner can be created:

The next screenshot provides you with the idea of general configuration of GWAVA 4 with WASP:

What are the main features of WASP 2 and is it worthwhile to use it? The only possible answer here is "yes" - WASP 2 has the whole set of features that make this product worth our attention. First of all, it installs easily and doesn't require any additional hardware. On the whole, WASP 2 is stored on the GroupWise server and constantly scans for malware and spam. Similarly to GWAVA 4, WASP 2 enables administrators to dial up or down the content filtering for email text and attachments, allowing the right content to be transported to individual mailboxes. Once a problem is detected, WASP 2 will quarantine the offender until it is either cleaned or deleted.

Moreover, WASP has unique architecture that enables the program to stop virus-infected attachments at the WebAccess gateway before entering user's GroupWise system. WASP can scan the file and determine its nature even if the file extension has been renamed. (This feature is called Fingerprinting). That's how you can be sure that malicious files with unknown or changed extensions will always be blocked. What makes WASP 2 even more user-friendly is its unique and very descriptive notification system. Users can understand exactly what is happening during the processes of scanning and quarantining.

Here you can see a screenshot on how WASP 2 blocks malicious messages:

In the following table you can find software requirements that have to be fulfilled in order to install WASP 2 on your system:

WASP 2 developers claim that this product perfectly suits those who need more security and flexibility. With WASP 2 you can be sure that you're GroupWise WebAccess will be fully protected from malware and spam. GWAVA has always tried to stay unique by providing comprehensive coverage from virus outbreaks and we can say that with WASP 2 they really managed to do that.