Here’s another section from MessageGate’s recent MarketInsight report – Reshaping Information Security.  This section deals with the very real and pressing need for all companies to get a thorough understanding of how email and other types of messaging are currently being used. 

Understanding Current Usage

A key element in reshaping information security for enterprise messaging is to gain a clear and timely understanding of what is coming and going.  Many companies had some type of basic content filtering in place that was prone to false positives and/or of limited business value either due to staffing cuts or lack relevancy in the reported results.  Having the ability to act on something when it happens depends on being able to know it occurred.

Simple things like knowing how much “noise” is coming and going via email – status, alerts, newsletters, and out of office replies are essential first steps.  Tackling the expanding email volume as Blackberries and other mobile devices are placed in the hands of employees as well as trying to harness the knowledge management aspects of email requires measuring and understanding usage and how it changes over time.

In many cases, questions arising around the need or worth of doing something were directly answered in the affirmative after a thorough review and audit of messaging activity.  This is about much more than just monthly email volume and statistics, but a window into usage and how email is the de facto workflow tool in the organization.