One of the oldest messaging servers has, at this time, more features than most. If you're looking for a top class server, this one should be on your list.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [June 23, 2005]

If you're looking at full featured messaging servers, don't leave Clevedeon, North Somerset, UK-based Gordano off your list (see Serverwatch's reviews here).

The Gordano app was written in house in the early 1990s by an e-commerce site then called Internet Shopper, Ltd., which soon realized it had a product it could sell. Originally called NTMail, the product has grown in features and popularity over time.

Did we already say it has a lot of features? Here's a list of most (but not all) features:

• POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail
• Webmail
• IM
• Anti-spam
• Anti-virus
• Disposable e-mail addresses
• Intuitive admin GUI for ISPs and their resellers
• Communication Server for mail merges and listservs
• SSL encryption
• SMS, pager, or text messaging
• Calendar
• Load sharing for infinite scalability, with downtime of a few minutes to add a server
• Protocol restriction option, allowing users to restrict SMTP on a leased line, for example
• Individual user settings for anti-virus (the same for anti-spam is in the works)
• "AutoPort" feature for importing messages
• Authentication based on the ISP's choice including LDAP, Radius, NTSAM, and Gordano's proprietary protocol
• Many, many languages including the two common kinds of Portuguese and many different kinds of Spanish (the company has clients in Asia, the Middle East, U.S., and Europe)

Any message can trigger any other. For example, a user can send an e-mail requesting a series of SMS reminders about appointments throughout the day, using the calendar application.

A small business can set up a robot to autorespond to complaints or orders.

The anti-spam function includes an "accept and discard" feature that prevents dictionary attacks by not telling senders about wrong e-mail addresses. This is the right thing to do, we feel. Today, far to much of the e-mail generated by spam and viruses is generated by autoresponders, which only compound the problem (see, for example, Jericho's rant).

To ease system recovery, a full config is written to a remote disk at Gordano. "Our biggest config is over 100 MB," says John Stanners, director of Gordano.

If you're interested in the product, also check out today's press release.

Pricing and availability
The Gordano mail server and messaging suite of apps is available now. Pricing was not disclosed.

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