This is the final post from MessageGate’s recent MarketInsight report:  Reshaping Information Security. I’ll do a follow-up post that lists all the links for those of you looking for a full on-line version.  This section deals more specifically with the messaging technologies being used in the enterprise.

Messaging

On the broader technical topic of messaging, there was a great deal of discussion around looking beyond email to multiple transmission protocols as data can be packaged in many ways.  Instant Messaging (IM) emergence is a concern as it is a conduit for sharing files, document, and other such things.  Although email is narrow in scope, it is the most pressing messaging issue at the moment.

Unified messaging is being looked at to some degree, but turning voice mails into emails appealed to no one.  Email systems have too many single points of failure based on how they have been developed and deployed over the years.  There is no way to get rid of email, but there needs to be a way to address issues like chain mails, forwards of forwards, replies to all, and remote workers.

Email is not going away, but messaging is constantly changing.  If you cut the wire (email), an alternative must be provided and there is currently no better alternative.