Google Message Security for Google Apps Administration Guide - Manual (Page 31)

Organization Hierarchy & Design 31
Default User Settings
When a new user is added to the message security service, it gets certain user-
level settings from a Default User—the one assigned to the organization the new
user is added to. These settings include:
• Spam filters on/off
• Virus filters on/off
• Spam filter levels for individual categories of spam
As a template for creating new users, a Default User is how you enforce common
filter settings across an org. Unlike with org-level settings, however, if you want to
change your policies later by modifying a Default User, the change affects only
new users added to the org afterwards, not to existing users. Existing users’ filters
have to be updated one-by-one. It’s therefore important to set up your Default
Users carefully before deploying them, and avoid making changes to them
afterwards. (For details, see “Manage Default User Templates” on page 63.)
When editing an existing Default User, only edit the spam filter settings. There are
settings other than spam filters. But these are best managed either at the org-
level. See the other topics in this section, for details.
WARNING: Don’t disable Message Center Access for a Default User. Manage
User Access at the org-level, instead. See “Enable / Disable Message Center
Access” on page 135.
User-Specific Settings
For an individual user, you manage personal settings that apply only for that user.
These include:
• Spam Filter Status Individual spam filter settings set by the user in the
Message Center.
• Sender lists The user’s personal allowed or blocked senders
To maintain common policies across an org, these are best done for the
organization, and left unchanged for individual users.
For details on each user setting, see “Manage a User’s Settings” on page 70.