The two areas I am referencing are ANTI-VIRUS and ARCHIVING solutions. Do not stop reading yet! This is not a sales pitch! Rather, this is a just a little educational piece for consideration.

ANTI-VIRUS

According to the survey results, approximately 19.7% of all respondents stated that they do not use any type of anti-virus solution. The majority of people recognize the value in an anti-virus solution. But, for those who choose to not deploy an anti-virus solution, they are exposing their infrastructure to imminent attack. One reason why today’s threats are so worrisome is that many of them can evade the security solutions that SMBs may have in place. That can leave these businesses wide open to data theft and damage to their brand.
Moreover, there is little evidence that these threats are going away anytime soon. According to the latest Symantec Threat Report, attackers released Trojan horses, viruses, and worms (collectively known as “malicious code”) at a record pace in 2008.

Even as recent as yesterday, we read news from ComputerWorldUK.com about an organization paying obscene amounts of money to repair the damage left in the wake of a virus attack on an unprotected system. You would never own a car without locks; leave the keys in the ignition, and a put a giant sign in the windshield that says STEAL ME NOW! In the same way, you should not leave your email server vulnerable to attack.

EMAIL ARCHIVE

According to the survey results, approximately 64.1% of all respondents stated that they do not archive their email. An email archive is a repository generally kept in a non-production environment to provide secure preservation of email for compliance and operational purposes. A “true” email archiving system automatically extracts message contents and attachments from incoming/outgoing emails and after indexing, it stores them in read-only format. This ensures that archived records are maintained in their original state. Generally speaking there are four predominant reasons to archive your email. These are: compliance, litigation support, storage management and knowledge management.

Let’s be honest about this, most SMBs are not required to comply with federal regulations on email storage and retrieval. Most SMBs will also not require eDiscovery for litigation support either. So, the best reason for an SMB to archive email is for storage or knowledge management. But, let’s not forget the fifth reason: easy back-up and retrieval.

Email is the number one business tool in use today. We all say that. But, do we really believe it? If we did then I think we would take the necessary steps to ensure that our email is secure from attack and that it would be easy to retrieve in case of hardware failure. The costs of data retrieval from tape back-up, hardware scrubbing, or manual restoration are excessive. Not to mention, there are innumerable reported instances of overwhelming costs associated with litigation and email retrieval.

Deploying and managing anti-virus and email archive solutions is relatively painless and provides your business piece of mind knowing that its most valuable business tool is not only bulletproof but also completely secure and easy to retrieve.

If you find yourself without either of these solutions I would encourage you to contact one of our account managers at 1-877-488-7341 to discuss solutions for your IMail Server.

One of the great features of most desktop email clients is the capability to set up tasks and reminders.  I use this feature in Outlook all the time to help me stay on track with important business meetings and deadlines.  I even place email pop-up reminders on my work calendar to help me remember personal dates like doctor’s appointments, parent teacher conferences and my boss’ birthday.  But I’ve never thought about how reading my email could keep me ‘fit as a fiddle’.  According to a recent article in Time, the American Journal of Preventative Medicine has just published a study indicating that simple email reminders urging healthy eating and physical activity significantly influence behavior for a healthier lifestyle.   Out of 787 office workers who participated in this study, 351 email recipients chose to receive email reminders for one of three focus areas: boosting physical activity, increasing fruit and vegetable intake or decreasing sugars and saturated fats. Barbara Sternfeld, senior research scientist at Kaiser Permanente and the study’s lead investigator indicates that, “these quick alerts remind your brain of the goals you’ve set for yourself”.  What is interesting is that participants who received the physical activity emails increased their exercise regimen by an hour a week over a 16 week period. The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and NutritionQuest and funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also determined that participants who focused on a healthy diet reduced the saturated and trans fats they consumed by more than 1 g a day.

So for someone like me who makes a regular visit to the break room for a morning cup of coffee and a Jumbo Honeybun, a daily reminder to take a brisk walk around the block not only motivates me to get in better shape but it also saves me 75 cents on my dollar. Think about how you can set goals for yourself by using your client’s reminder feature.  Most of us already know what we need to do, but a little reminder never hurts.

Note:  IMail Server fully integrates with Outlook or your favorite desktop client

For instance:

	Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
	You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.
	Sorry to have missed you but I am at the doctors having my brain removed so that I may be promoted to management.
	I will be unable to delete all the unread emails you send me until I return from vacation on 7/18. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

OK, so maybe these aren’t the best email response examples for your use, but the beauty of the auto response feature is you can set up a custom message that is just right for you.  So, regardless of whether you’ll be hiking the hills, sunning on the seashore or relaxing at home, you can eliminate the need to manually respond to your business email messages while at the same time provide the best care for all your email contacts. So go ahead and enjoy a little time off with some good summertime fun!

*TIP: Set a calendar reminder for yourself for the day you return to the office from your vacation to turn off your auto-responder. The last thing you need after a few days away is to suffer the embarrassment of a co-worker having to remind you, “Dude, you’re not on vacation anymore…turn off your auto-responder.”

IMail now offers customers the option to purchase after hours support for the installation or upgrade of your Ipswitch Messaging products. Customers that do not wish to install the product during regular business hours now have the flexibility of purchasing a support package that entitles you to weekend, early-hours and after-hours assistance.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for installation support, customers must be entitled to technical support.  This means your service agreement must be up-to-date or have a valid warranty.  Installation support will be available to customers through direct purchase only.

Scheduling

The customer will work directly with the Tech Support Manager (TSM) or an assigned representative to arrange a date and time for the installation.  At the discretion of the TSM a minimum amount of notice may be required in order to properly schedule technician availability.  Once a date and time have been agreed upon the Tech Support Manager (or assigned representative) will pass customer to Customer Service to arrange billing.

Billing and Payments

Customers will be required to pre-pay for a minimum of one hour but you can pre-pay for additional time if desired.  The order will be processed 24-48* hours prior to the scheduled call, once the appointment has been confirmed by the technician handling the case.  Any hours exceeding the originally allotted time will be billed to the customer and must be paid within thirty (30) days.

Pricing and Part Numbers

You just clicked “Send,” then you remember the inappropriate comment at the bottom of the message! BTW – YOU wrote the message and it was about your BOSS!!! And did I mention that the message was being sent to your boss? What the french, right? So, I started to think…Google has the “Goggles” which is great if you set the permissions right, are an inebriated co-ed with an axe to grind, and up at 3AM…but what about the rest of us…the non-inebriated, non-co-ed GMailers out there? Is there something we can do to prevent such noxious mistakes?

Here are my thoughts on the subject which, I must admit, are homegrown, borrowed, and stolen. Nonetheless, if you follow these 3 easy steps…you can avoid such moronic email errors.

1. Review every email you type before you click “SEND” and look for the following:

a. Appropriate punctuation and spelling

b. Instances where your tone could be misunderstood

c. Unnecessary content that distracts from the intended message

2. Expect that every email you send has the potential to be read by someone other than the intended recipient

3. When forwarding an email, scroll the message make sure previous exchanges with others (that were meant to remain confidential) are deleted.

Moral of the Story: Sending or even forwarding one libelous or offensive remark in an email, can you put you at risk for some very serious consequences. It only takes a fraction of a second for you to realize you’ve just made a HUGE mistake that could result in great embarrassment or worse.

CONTRIBUTE: Do you have an email horror story? If so, add it here in the comments box!

If you are an unsuspecting US traveler like Tripp Allen, our IMail president, who thinks you can just breeze into another country without a passport, you might be found trapped between borders (just like Tripp) on your next trip abroad…That is, unless you travel equipped with all the proper credentials.

New passport rules take effect TODAY and even if you are leaving the US and only going to Canada or Mexico by airplane, car or railway, you now need a traditional passport.  Yes, starting today, US citizens who cross the border will need a passport or other forms of proof of identify and citizenship (such as a passport card) to get back into the US. The cost of a passport ranges from $75 to $100 for an adult. A passport card costs about half that amount and it can be used to walk or drive across the border from Canada or Mexico or for ferries or cruises.  Other acceptable documentation includes Trusted Traveler cards or an enhanced driver’s license with embedded identify information that directs border agents to a stored database. The US Customs and Border Protection Agency has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the new passport requirements and for the time being, travelers will not be turned away but given an advisory that they are not compliant.  But what you can expect is to be detained for a wavering period of time if you don’t have your passport identification. So, if you don’t believe me, just ask our president Tripp Allen.

For more information, visit the US Department of State website to help you prepare for your upcoming travels.

People have told me I take a good driver’s license photo.  Don’t tell anybody, but the secret to my success of getting a great picture is by spending a few minutes in front of the mirror “practicing” my smile. Let’s face it, these days you have to show your driver’s license for just about every deal you make, so when I hand over my ID, I want it show off the bubbly attributes that reflect the truly fun human being that I really am…. and hopefully make the date of my birthday a little less noticeable!!!! 

But I just read that some states no longer allow you to say “cheese”.  It’s what the DMV in several states is now doing to reduce fake IDs and license fraud.  With a new facial recognition technology that compares applicants’ new photographs with old photographs, it recognizes if someone already has gotten a license under a different name ….but only if you don’t smile.  Apparently, this new identify fraud technology considers a smile a temporary feature, and the DMV only wants to see your natural and permanent features. But hey, I’m not applying for a job at the DMV… I’m just updating my driver’s license!  So far, there’s no rule on beards or mustaches, but I’ve heard the DMV is cracking down on applicants sporting eyeglasses, headscarves or eye covering hairstyles.

So what can you do if you walk into the DMV’s no-smile policy?  For those of us who argue that it’s just a natural reaction to smile for the camera, think about your grandma who got run over by a freight train or better yet, the “natural” look on your face when you’ve been a target to identity theft.  Don’t worry though, if these tips don’t work, the DMV photographer will get a message rejecting your photo and you will get one more chance to pose for the camera.

With a team of 20 people, Ipswitch competed against 26 other teams to win the fastest pull with a “record breaking” time of 12.022 seconds.  There was some very strong competition including teams from the Army, Georgia Power, Fed-Ex and many others. It was a lot of fun pulling the plane, and we can’t wait to defend our title in next year’s event!  

Ronald McDonald House Charities strive to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children by focusing on the critical needs of children.  Ronald McDonald Charities rely on its donors, volunteers, staff and friends.  We encourage you to take the time to get involved in your community!  Check out the video clip of our event here:  http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/05/31/met_525919.shtml

Congratulations team Ipswitch!

Step two: GOOGLE.COM!!! (What would you have done for step two? Yep…you would Google it too!) Then…all of a sudden…my lack of calmness turned to a ray of hope. Why? Because this apparently is a common problem for the butter-fingered-iPhoners of the world. So, Google and eBay to the rescue baby!!! After a couple of clicks my new parts are en route. Now, while I am thrilled to have a cheaper repair option – this makes me even more disappointed with the customer-no-service I had received from the phone company.

All of this got me thinking about my role as tech support specialist. Do I perform my job like the guy at the phone company? I surely hope not. When a customer calls me and has an issue with their mail server, they feel just as panicked as I did when I called the phone company about my iPhone. However, there is a major difference between the two scenarios. Whereas the phone guy just snuffs it off, reads his script, and makes every effort to get more money from me…my job is to fix the customer’s IMail Server at all costs…ensure that it is working soundly and explain what happened. All of this really makes me wonder what has happened to customer service these days. I guess some of the mega corporations believe they will have your business despite their poor customer service. There are a number of reasons driving the fact that we have come to expect and are willing to accept poor customer service. But, the fact is that we, as consumers, deserve more than that. And frankly…I can do something about it!

When you call IMail Technical Support, you are going to get a person that is deeply concerned with SOLVING your problem – not dodging it or pushing blame elsewhere. It doesn’t matter if it is a simple configuration issue, a bug, or an issue on your network. We will ensure that you have all the tools you need to completely solve the problem. We are dedicated to our customers and you are our top priority.

BTW – you can follow me on Twitter @IMailTech to stay dialed into all that is happening in the TS world or to get a helpful IMail related tech tip.