I Need Your Help To Fix My Spam Problem

I'm searching for an antispam solution that not only works but is easy for me to manage and, for that matter, easy for my IT department, too.

For someone like me, who for business reasons has an e-mail address that is out on the Web and in our publications, the result is 400 or so e-mails a day that currently make it through the spam filter we use here. If I had the time to go into the quarantine box and take a peek (something I never do), I'd bet there might be as many more. We currently use Barracuda's spam firewall, which catches plenty of the offenders. But I'm looking for something that makes it easy for me to blacklist those that get through and doesn't require me to constantly check to see if something that should get through has been held up.

ROBERT FALETRA Can be reached via e-mail at rfaletra@cmp.com.

I mentioned my frustration to one of my solution provider friends, Dave Dadian of PowerSolution, and he told me he has the answer in a product from Sendio. After Dave filled me in, I called Tal Golan, president of Sendio. Golan has an interesting approach and claims he's more interested in building products that fix the problem rather than attempt to filter it.

In a nutshell, Sendio's I.C.E. box requires any e-mail sent my way to be verified first that it was sent by a person and not a spam-generating computer. If you are in my contact database, you would automatically be allowed through. If not, an e-mail to me would generate one back to you asking you to verify who you are. Once you do that, the original mail is released and I can be assured it's from a person and not a spammer. This only happens once and then we're good to go. And if I were to send you an e-mail, you are immediately cleared to send me one.

I like the approach enough that I've asked Dave to work with our internal IT department on evaluating the solution. But all this has me thinking: How do you solve your customers' spam problems? Do you think Sendio is going down the right track, or are there better ways to make my life easier?

What's your solution to spam?
Shoot me an e-mail and if it makes it through the Barracuda spam firewall I'll respond. I might just ask you to join in on a spam solution bake-off to see who has the best solution.