In praise of Kerio

To refresh my knowledge of Kerio MailServer I downloaded a copy of the latest version 6 from the company’s web site and loaded it up on a test server. All the things I remember liking about the product are still there and it has improved and solidified in several key areas. The product can run on either a Windows or Linux platform.

The first thing to like is the clean and simple management interface. For anyone used to Microsoft’s muddle of tools spread across different management consoles, Kerio’s approach will come like a bolt out of the blue. A single console window provides access to all functions of the server from configuration, choice of protocols, user management through to logs on its behaviour. Setup is a breeze – complete a few forms to set up the domains and users you want to give access to (with convenient import functions for large setups) and you’re up and running. Safely! Which brings me to the second thing to like …

Antivirus is built in to the mailserver itself. You can either use the supplied McAfee with its automatically updated database or one of several alternatives from the likes of Sophos, Grisoft etc that you supply separately. You can even use several AV engines in tandem if you want. Spam is equally well covered with a comprehensive arsenal of filters, blocklists, repellents, caller-ID lookups, SPF checks and SpamAssassin bult in. Less than 2% of spam gets through even the lightweight configuration I have implemented with very few false-positives.

The server’s database can be automatically backed up and archived without user intervention. It can retrieve email from other servers or external accounts (such as Yahoo or Hotmail) and drop the messages into recipient mailboxes directly. It can handle multiple identities and email addresses, aliases at individual or group level. And it has good status and logging functions that keep this administrator well informed of what is going on.

The latest version even has ActiveSync functionality built in so sync’ing a Windows based PDA or mobile phone over a Bluetooth or wireless connection is automatic and seamless. Wonderful!

But the very best thing to like about Kerio MailServer 6 is that it just works. It sits there and does its job of delivering, sorting and sifting emails, storing calendar, tasks and notes while demanding zero attention from me.

And that makes it worth every penny of the price I paid for the licence to use it.