Control, flexibility and security

Unified Communications This newsletter is sponsored by Packeteer Your coffee is on us. No tactics. No pressure. Spend 5 minutes on a phone call to learn how Packeteer(r) can help improve your WAN's delivery of Microsoft services to remote locations using the new Packeteer iShaper WAN technology. Register today for an honest assessment of how we can help you and get a $25 Starbucks gift card. Register today. Network World's Unified Communications Newsletter, 09/18/07 Control, flexibility and security By Michael Osterman Our recent study on hosted messaging revealed that those organizations that don’t use hosted or managed messaging cite a variety of reasons for not doing so. However, three reasons for not using hosted or managed messaging stand out above the rest: * 82% of decision makers told us that they want to maintain control of their e-mail environment. * 68% told us that in-house management is more flexible than outsourcing. * 63% told us that they are concerned about the security of their data in the hands of a third party. These concerns, then, lead to some obvious questions. Do you lose control of your e-mail environment when you host it? Do you lose flexibility? Is your data less secure if it’s not behind your own firewall? Network World Security Buyer's Guide Find the right security products for your enterprise - fast. From anti-spam to wireless LAN security, our Buyer's Guides have detailed information on hundreds of products in more than 20 categories. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features to make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Security Buyer's Guide now. Those are certainly valid questions and represent fears that need to be addressed by vendors of hosted and managed messaging services, particularly given the absolutely critical nature of e-mail and the growing importance of retaining e-mail data for long periods. Further, e-mail contains a growing proportion of confidential and sensitive business information, making its security increasingly critical. Add to this the fact that unified communications will increasingly become part of these service offerings and the concerns about hosted and managed messaging are sure to grow. What can hosted and managed messaging providers do about this? The most important thing they can do is provide a solid track record of providing customers with control over their messaging environment, flexibility in how the system and users are managed, and high levels of security. To address these issues and others, we will be hosting a Webinar Oct. 3, sponsored by USA.NET. You can sign up for this no-charge event here. LIVE CHAT TOMORROW Enterprise messaging demystified with Michael Osterman: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. EDT, Wed., Sept. 19. Text chat live with popular newsletter columnist and consultant who will answer your questions on e-mail, enterprise search, instant messaging and unified communications, and anything else you want to ask.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: For webinars or research on messaging, or to join the Osterman Research market research survey panel, go here. Osterman Research helps organizations understand the markets for messaging and directory related offerings. To e-mail Michael, click here. This newsletter is sponsored by Packeteer Your coffee is on us. No tactics. No pressure. Spend 5 minutes on a phone call to learn how Packeteer(r) can help improve your WAN's delivery of Microsoft services to remote locations using the new Packeteer iShaper WAN technology. Register today for an honest assessment of how we can help you and get a $25 Starbucks gift card. Register today. ARCHIVE Archive of the Unified Communications Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007