Mailbag: The pros of providing e-mail to all workers

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: MICHAEL OSTERMAN ON MESSAGING
09/27/05
Today's focus: Mailbag: The pros of providing e-mail to all
workers

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Readers in favor of providing e-mail to everyone
* Links related to Messaging
* Featured reader resource
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Sybase
Data Explosion

It sounds so simple: if you collect enough business information,
you'll glean valuable insights that can drive both revenue
growth and competitive advantage. Along the way, however,
companies are discovering that managing the explosive growth of
online data can prove a formidable challenge. Here's how to
assess your data management style, and maximize your
opportunities to turn online data into business opportunity.
Click here for more on taming the data explosion.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=115846
_______________________________________________________________
REVISTING SPYWARE

Spyware can kill your business quicker than spam or viruses.
Spyware insidiously logs your keystrokes, rifles through your
files for password and credit card data, peppers your screen
with ads and slows your PCs to a crawl. So how do you stop it?
Network World reviews 16 spyware stopping products. Click here:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=115652
_______________________________________________________________

Today's focus: Mailbag: The pros of providing e-mail to all
workers

By Michael Osterman

Last week's newsletter on whether or not organizations should
provide e-mail to all of their workers generated a significant
number of responses. In this newsletter, we'll focus on the
responses of those who believe all workers should have e-mail.

Here are some highlights:

* "The way we approach the efficiency problem with part-timers
is that we expect our people to be 75% efficient. If they work
eight hours, we expect six of that to be directly billable to a
customer project. The other 25% is for reading e-mail, surfing
the Web, research, telling jokes, etc. For the full-timers, we
don't track that 25%. For the part-time people, we have them
enter it into our time-tracking tool."

* "I say let them have it. The time management, or rather
micromanagement, war is long lost. No e-mail in an effort to
peak productivity? We must first ban cell phones at work to
accomplish that goal. That prospect is far too retro."

* "The major objection - as I understand it - to granting use of
e-mail to certain kinds of employees is that they're likely to
make inappropriate use of company e-mail. I take the view that
the higher-ranking, salaried employees are as prone to make
inappropriate use of e-mail as are the hourly paid workers below
them in the company hierarchy. [Since our] company has some
vision of itself as fulfilling a mission to which all of its
employees are dedicated, there may be no choice but to provide
e-mail - as just one of the tools for pursuing that mission - to
all employees."

* "My reaction is that if you have a computer on your desk, you
will have e-mail. There is too much information that is
exchanged regarding day-to-day business that flows too easily
through e-mail not to make it available to everyone who uses a
computer."

Most of the responses we received were actually against
providing e-mail to everyone - although there are strong
opinions on both sides - and we'll get to those next time. Thank
you to everyone who commented on the newsletter.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. McAfee, Omniquad top anti-spyware test
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6958>
2. Ransomware: How big is your risk?
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg7718>
3. How to solve Windows system crashes in minutes
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg7719>
4. Mass. finalizes plans to phase out Office
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg7720>
5. The rise of the IT architect
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg7324>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Michael Osterman

Michael D. Osterman is the principal of Osterman Research
<http://www.ostermanresearch.com/>, a market research firm that
helps organizations understand the markets for messaging,
directory and related products and services. He can be reached
by clicking here <mailto:michael@ostermanresearch.com>
_______________________________________________________________

This newsletter is sponsored by Sybase
Data Explosion

It sounds so simple: if you collect enough business information,
you'll glean valuable insights that can drive both revenue
growth and competitive advantage. Along the way, however,
companies are discovering that managing the explosive growth of
online data can prove a formidable challenge. Here's how to
assess your data management style, and maximize your
opportunities to turn online data into business opportunity.
Click here for more on taming the data explosion.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=115845
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Messaging newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/gwm/index.html
________________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE

The Trend Micro Threat Map

The Trend Micro Threat Map dynamically displays real-time data
to show worldwide trends in virus and content security threats
as they happen. Collected from actual computer infections, the
Threat Map can be used to help determine appropriate security
policies, based on the prevalence of threats that can adversely
affect your business.

<http://www.networkworld.com/go/trendmicro/trend_frr>
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