Forefront Client Security and other Forefront Server Security products, such as Forefront Security for Exchange Server and Forefront Security for Sharepoint, have been around for some time now. Microsoft's Forefront Security for Office Communications Server seems to have taken a painstakingly long time to get developed, make it through Beta testing, and finally now released to manufacturing (RTM). But, that day has finally arrived.

Forefront for OCS delivers valuable protection for the unified communications platform. Aside from protecting OCS 2007 and OCS 2007 R2 from malware using as many as five simultaneous antivirus scanning engines, Forefront Security for Office Communications Server also provides keyword and content filtering for instant messaging communications. Using Forefront Security for OCS, organizations can block sensitive or confidential information from being communicated via instant messaging, and certain file types- for example EXE files- can be blocked as instant messaging file attachments. Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server looks at the actual file content so it is also smart enough not to be circumvented by simply renaming the file extension.

I will be writing more about how to install, configure, and administer Forefront Security for Office Communications Server in the coming weeks. Check back to learn more about the product, how it works, and issues you may expect to encounter. Feel free to comment here or drop me an email if you have specific questions or run into problems that you would like me to explore.

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