Worried firms consider email boycott

Six out of 10 companies claim they will give up email if the threat posed by viruses, spam and other unwanted content is not contained and a viable alternative emerges. Responding to an email security survey carried out by MessageLabs a further 40 per cent said they feel 'worried' by the current email security threat to their business, with only 29 per cent feeling 'optimistic'. The survey shows that few (15 per cent) think email will remain the same application over the next decade, while two thirds think it will merge with other messaging applications, such as wireless and instant messaging. But only 14 per cent of respondents think it will become completely obsolete.

Over 20 per cent of firms responding to the research indicated that online fraud such as phishing and identity theft will be the greatest threat. Viruses achieved a similar rating (21 per cent).

The leakage of confidential or sensitive information was rated by 18 per cent as the main issue, with 15 per cent stating that it would be the potential for industrial espionage.

Read Full Story