In order to disable Forefront Online Protection for Exchange (FOPE), you need to revert the configuration changes you made when provisioning FOPE in your environment.

To disable Forefront Online Protection for Exchange

  1. Start a cancellation order by contacting the appropriate FOPE representative. If you purchased through a Service Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA) or Telco partner, contact that partner to start the cancellation process.  If you purchased through Volume Licensing (VL), contact FOPE support to deprovision your account (e-mail: support@messaging.microsoft.com or Web: https://messaging.custhelp.com or phone: 866.291.7726). 

  2. Once your cancellation order is being processed, update the Mail Exchange (MX) record on your external DNS server so that it no longer points to the FOPE datacenter: mail.messaging.microsoft.com

  3. Update the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record so that it is no longer defined as: v=spf1 include: spf.messaging.microsoft.com –all

  4. Update your firewall rules and Exchange Edge Receive Connectors to remove the allow rules for the FOPE IPs that you created when enabling FOPE filtering for your environment. This change will allow mail from IP addresses other than the FOPE datacenter IPs.

  5. In the Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server Administrator Console  Policy Management tree view, expand Online Protection, and then click Configure.

  6. In the Online Protection - Configure pane, in the Forefront Online Protection for Exchange Gateway Management area, deselect the Enable Forefront Online Protection for Exchange Gateway checkbox.

  7. Click Save at the top of the pane.

Once you have cancelled your FOPE service and made the changes described here, your organization’s e-mail will no longer be routed through the FOPE datacenter for filtering.