| Email is a company's lifeblood. Everyone from the | | | | percent of Internet users have had their |
| corner office on down depends | | | | computer infected by a virus, most likely from an |
| on it and expects 100 percent availability. They | | | | email message. They are coming fast and furious, |
| schedule meetings, assign tasks, | | | | and most companies are ill-prepared. Spam and |
| answer questions, receive product orders, check | | | | virus filters are not very good, catching a lot of |
| progress and exchange friendly | | | | false positives and dumping potentially important |
| greetings - all with the click of a mouse. | | | | email.Free Up Your PersonnelA full 60 percent of |
| Communication among customers, employees | | | | the costs involved in maintaining a corporate email |
| and business partners has never been easier...Until | | | | system come down to personnel, so it makes |
| something goes wrong.An employee inadvertently | | | | sense for midsize companies to consider |
| opens the door to a virus that downs the entire | | | | outsourcing. Concerns that made companies |
| system ... A | | | | hesitant in the past - worries about the |
| heavy day of email volume overwhelms the | | | | consistency of an external data center, and fears |
| allocated storage, impeding performance | | | | that service providers wouldn't be able to support |
| of other mission-critical IT functions ... Corporate | | | | a globally hosted infrastructure - are non-issues |
| counsel has asked that you | | | | today.A study* by The Radicati Group, released in |
| turn over all emails from July of last year to | | | | November, finds that corporations of all sizes are |
| settle a patent dispute, and you're | | | | increasingly deploying hosted email solutions as |
| not even sure if you have them. All the while | | | | opposed to in-house solutions. The analysts |
| several of your staff members are | | | | estimate that hosted email currently accounts for |
| spending hours trying to solve these problems, | | | | about 67 percent of all email accounts worldwide. |
| while the more strategic and forward-thinking | | | | This trend is attributed to complex in-house |
| projects get put on hold ... again.Managing | | | | messaging solutions, spam and virus problems, |
| corporate email systems has become a nightmare | | | | storage pressures, compliance requirements and |
| for companies and an | | | | other driving factors.Outsourcing management of |
| expense that seemingly knows few bounds. Email | | | | a corporate email system is where another |
| systems grow so fast that what | | | | company hosts your system and is responsible |
| should be one of the most strategic tools at our | | | | for complete reliability and security - can be a |
| disposal can quickly become | | | | wise decision for companies of any size that want |
| an out-of-control beast that refuses to be | | | | to streamline their email operations and relieve |
| tamed.In fact, according to the Radicati Group, | | | | their internal IT staffs of the burden. With the |
| the number of mailboxes is expected | | | | right email management services partner, |
| to increase by 20 percent or more, and volume | | | | outsourcing will save time, money and lost |
| per user has grown by 53 percent | | | | productivity by:· Freeing up your company's |
| over last year. No wonder system management | | | | IT experts to focus on more strategic initiatives, |
| is such a daunting task.There's more at stake | | | | furthering the company's core business |
| than convenience. Vulnerabilities are exposed as | | | | objectives· Standardizing the email platform |
| email | | | | across an organization, bringing everything in sync |
| volume grows, new viruses attack and | | | | and making the entire system more streamlined |
| CAN-SPAM-like government regulations become | | | | and efficientEnsuring that your company will stay |
| more convoluted. A downed email system | | | | on top of virus and worm protection upgrades |
| interrupts business, slows productivity | | | | and complicated government compliance issues |
| and disrupts potentially critical communication. And | | | | Getting StartedIf you are considering outsourcing |
| companies can be held financially | | | | your company's email management, here are a |
| liable for viruses that are inadvertently spread by | | | | few things to keep in mind.ScalabilityLook for an |
| an employee, or for questionable | | | | IT services provider that can manage all the |
| or inappropriate content transmitted from their | | | | complexity behind implementing, securing, |
| systems.Who's managing the Email Store?Most | | | | managing and scaling your email system. Make |
| larger companies still place the responsibility of | | | | sure the company provides a wide range of |
| managing their email | | | | services from which you can customize your |
| systems on already overburdened and | | | | relationship to meet your specific email needs - |
| under-budgeted IT departments, expecting | | | | from a simple, low-cost shared MS Exchange |
| them to expand systems, prevent virus attacks, | | | | server all the way to a multi-data center, load |
| filter spam and develop archiving | | | | balanced service for larger companies with global |
| solutions - all with shrinking budgets and dwindling | | | | offices.MigrationAsk about the migration process |
| staffs. Most of the smaller | | | | and make sure it will be seamless, with minimal |
| companies don't even have that luxury; it's | | | | effort on the part of your internal IT department. |
| strictly do-it-yourself.Some companies have never | | | | To truly get an understanding of what to expect, |
| investigated how much maintaining their email | | | | you might want to get feedback from some of |
| systems internally is costing them - in actual | | | | the company's existing and previous |
| dollars, hardware costs, IT resources, personnel | | | | clients.UptimeWhile the goal obviously is 100 |
| time and lost revenues and/or productivity when | | | | percent up-time, ask potential service providers |
| the system is not available. The costs are high - it | | | | what plans they have in place to deal with the |
| seems there's no end to the complexity involved | | | | unexpected. Find out about a disaster recovery |
| in maintaining a corporate email system.Most are | | | | plan - a procedure put into place from the |
| increasingly heterogeneous, with end users across | | | | beginning to help you save, store and recover |
| an organization using different versions and | | | | data in case of an emergency.Support |
| various email platforms - making management | | | | ServicesAlso make sure the company provides |
| and maintenance time-consuming and more | | | | fixed monthly costs, single sign-on capabilities, |
| complicated than necessary. IT experts are | | | | spam and virus filtering, integration with other |
| forced to spend enormous amounts of time | | | | services (fax, voicemail, etc.) and help-desk |
| maintaining a non-strategic - albeit crucial - function | | | | services.Email will only continue to grow, with new |
| while critical business objectives are set aside to | | | | complications at every turn. But with an |
| meet the urgent email needs.Meanwhile, system | | | | outsourcing partner, you'll secure a complex |
| managers are constantly fending off attacks from | | | | messaging environment that will allow you to keep |
| new viruses and worms, and trying to beat back | | | | up with minimal effort, along with access to |
| the influx of spam on already overloaded email | | | | technology and expertise usually on a fixed-cost |
| inboxes. According to a study** conducted by the | | | | basis, while reducing the demands on your IT |
| Pew Internet and American Life Project, 25 | | | | staff. |