Besides the inconvenience of unwanted messages bulking in the inbox, spam poses other threats too, such as viruses and malware. Firewalls and anti-viruses do detect these threats, but with a spam blocker you can make things a lot easier and safer. Nevertheless, lots of people don’t know how to select an anti-spam tool correctly, for maximum protection and minimum of investment. Before installing any program, decide whether you want the filter or the blocker installed on the server or on the computer. A server-based anti spam tool corresponds to the demands of large companies that try to prevent the spam inconvenience before reaching the employees’ computers.

The control of the program features belongs to the PC user particularly when the anti-spam tool is installed on the PC. Small businesses and personal users represent the average beneficiaries of on-computer spam filters and blockers. As for the rest of the issues that require attention, we should mention: the customization possibility, the compatibility with the filter, the stability and the usage easiness. When all these criteria are met, an optimal efficiency can be achieved.

By compatibility we refer to the possibility of using the anti-spam tool according to the Internet mail provider. There are some programs that make a match only with Outlook Express and Outlook but are incompatible with Eudora or Mozilla Thunderbird. Then, the anti-spam tool requires navigation options that are very easy to access; without such features, the program will be difficult to launch and control. Furthermore, a good anti-spam tool should allow customization of the features to the user’s needs. The PC operator has to be able to define the rules based on which the spam blocker will filter or delete mails.

The choice of an anti-spam tool depends on other features too, and unless you know what to look for, don’t hesitate to ask for professional assistance. Talk to someone who is good at computers or who can make a basic comparison between different spam blockers. If you pay for the program without checking what it can do and how it can stop spam, then, the risk of incompatibility is a lot higher. Talk to software companies, check reviews and inquire about the most stable product releases in order to identify a good anti spam tools.