ExchangeDefender Password Synchronization

Password synchronization was first implemented inside of ExchangeDefender about 2 months ago. It was also at the same time we released a new version of XDSYNC that also included a password synchronization option. This has been a little confusion among a few partners on how exactly this works and what to expect with password synchronization.

There are two primary configuration models, which are described below.

Hosted Exchange & ExchangeDefender Synchronization.
If you have a Hosted Exchange mailbox with ExchangeDefender, password synchronization happens automatically. This is because both the Exchange mail account and the spam protection layer both exist within servers that we own/operate. So anytime a password is changed through our management portals, that password is now updated in both places. After a chance occurs it may take up to 5 minutes for the Hosted Exchange password to update across our servers.

Private Server & ExchangeDefender Synchronization.
If you operate your own private Exchange mail server and use ExchangeDefender as your SPAM protection, password synchronization will require the XDSYNC tool. XDSYNC will automatically push new accounts into ExchangeDefender minutes after they are added to the mail server. You also have the option to enable password synchronization. In this case, it’s a one way push and will update password changes from within ExchangeDefender back down to your mail server. Keep in mind anytime a change occurs it will typically take about 5 minutes for that modification to be applied to the server.

Hopefully this will help define the two configuration models a little better and what you can expect with each configuration.

Hank Newman
VP Development, ExchangeDefender
hank@ownwebnow.com