Balancing Growing Needs for Easy Access to Company Email

By Arvel Hathcock
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Email is a wonderful thing. Undeniably, there is more than enough industry discussion about the best ways to help keep it a safe and trusted form of communication, but despite the security challenges, it remains the number one way in which businesses communicate with customers, partners, and employees. And it seems that our appetite to access email anytime and anywhere is not close to being satisfied. Consider the findings from a September 2008 study on Networked Workers by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project. According to the Project’s findings, 50 percent of employed adults check work-related email on weekends, 46 percent check email when they take a sick day, and 34 percent check email while on vacation. However, the study also found that only 27 percent of the respondents own a PDA or Smartphone. So, what other options do employers offer their employees? Web mail can come in the form of an integrated application found with many in-house email server products or offered through a hosted or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. Both offer a number of attractive alternatives to businesses juggling the demands of anytime, anywhere access with the challenges of finding new ways to reduce IT-related costs.

Many companies establish VPN networks to allow employees remote access or utilize the mobile connectivity features of Smartphones. However, there is a slow but growing use of Web mail by many companies looking for easy deployment and savings to meet the growing demand for email connectivity. As mobile Internet access becomes even more prevalent and the introduction of new communication devices grows, the ability to quickly check and respond to email via a browser may become the preferred method of email access. In fact, analyst firm, Gartner, predicts that by 2012, generic mail and calendar needs by business users have the opportunity to reduce total email operating costs down to $2 USD per user per month. In addition, they believe a combination of lower operational costs, near-ubiquitous Internet connectivity, and full client functionality will make the browser the default mail reader for most users. Although Gartner’s assumptions are linked to the growing acceptance of SaaS delivery, companies that want internal control of their email servers can derive similar benefits from those integrated Web mail applications.

Another trend to consider is the growing use of netbooks by business travelers and other employees that find these smaller, Web connected computers a viable alternative to traditional laptops, in both cost and functionality. Market Intelligence firm, iSupli, projects the netbook market share to grow from 8 percent this year to 18 percent of portable computer sales. These devices are ideal for those who want easy access to email and other Web-based applications and have limited use for traditional client-based applications.

Considerations for Your Business

We truly live in a global village and email will continue to facilitate the communication necessary to be successful in an “always on” world. Companies that desire simplicity of server versus client-side upgrades and management, have geographically dispersed and/or multi-lingual employees, and wish to balance the deployment of Smartphone and other mobile devices may want look at the positive impact a Web mail deployment model can provide. While security can be addressed through https and SSL techniques, Web mail’s ability to offer low-cost, anytime anywhere access presents a very compelling alternative to meet the growing demand of workers needing easy access to their email.

About Arvel Hathcock

Arvel Hathcock founded Alt-N Technologies in 1996 recognizing small-to-medium businesses needed a feature-rich and reliable email platform without the complexities and support requirements found in the few email products available at that time. Over the past 12 years, he has led the ongoing advancements of the company’s MDaemon Email Server. He is a passionate advocate of keeping email safe and affordable for all businesses, regardless of size. He participates in industry associations such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), DKIM.org, and the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA).

Published December 1, 2008