Exchange Reporter Plus Gets A Little More Plus With Auditing Capabilities

By Steve Anderson, Contributing TMCnet Writer

When it comes to issues of IT management, reporting software goes a long way to provide the kind of help that users need to better keep track of the goings-on on the server, network, and the like. For an Exchange server, this is particularly important, and ManageEngine's (News - Alert) Exchange Reporter Plus has long sought to provide the kind of management capabilities that users need most. Recently, ManageEngine announced that the "Plus" in Exchange Reporter Plus got a little more so with new features.

ManageEngine's Exchange Reporter Plus now boasts both change auditing and mailbox access monitoring functions to its lineup, which allows the software to not only report on incidents related to Exchange events, but also provide alerts where necessary, especially when those incidents have security implications. This allows users to throw a little extra into e-mail security and compliance programs to not only prevent data from going where it shouldn't, but also for keeping the increasing body of regulators happy.

With the penalties for failing regulators reaching whole new heights, those companies subject to HIPAA, for example, can expect fines of $1.5 million for failing to comply with security procedures established, having that level of Exchange auditing capability is vital to the long-term security and health of a business.

With more companies about to fall under HIPAA thanks to the HIPAA Omnibus Rule, including companies that previously hadn't fallen under the "healthcare" net like Web design,having that layer of protection is important yet often left behind due to the current setup of many Exchange systems. User actions, permissions, and the like can find themselves in separate systems, so keeping track of it all can be difficult.

But with the newly enhanced Exchange Reporter Plus, many of the functions of reporting that were formerly difficult are now much, much simpler. For instance, mailbox logon reports are now offered up by user logon activity, by non-owner report to show when other users are in mailboxes not their own, and a server-based report to bring it all together.

Permission change reports are also available, covering the standard, the overall, and for "send-as" permission changes. Changes made to overall mailbox properties get moved front and center as well - in both activated / deactivated reports and a moved report - as well as reports for whenever an Exchange store is mounted or dismounted.

Those interested in picking up the newly-modified Exchange Reporter Plus can do so right now, as it's available out at ManageEngine's website for $295 to start, going on from there in terms of overall licenses and the like. However, those not sure if Exchange Reporter Plus is what's needed can instead take on the 30-day evaluation edition instead.

Having the necessary resources to protect and manage a server's activity is important. Not just in terms of the potential price of failure to do so, but in the larger sense of better protecting the data of those who depend on having such systems up and running. ManageEngine has clearly taken a step in the right direction toward offering powerful yet accessible protection systems for users, and hopefully, this will yield much better overall systems for those involved.

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