Carl Tyler's Blog :: Is e-mail losing it's value?

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Is e-mail losing it's value?

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I've noticed that more of our enterpise customers that I communicate with through e-mail are pretty much turning back any e-mail that has any kind of attachment, it's used to be that they would just block exe files which you coudl get around by zipping it, then they'd block DOC files because of all the Word viruses, and now with the latest round of virus they are blocking ZIP files, some companies are even blocking all attachments. We've been getting around it quickly by setting up a shared web space on our site for customers, but I wonder what other organizations who are a little less flexible are doing?

I wonder what implications this has for a company like Kubi Software, where attachments are the core underpinning of how their application communicates across organizations?

Posted by Carl Tyler On 03/15/2004 | Permalink |

Comments

1 - Interesting question. And also, does that increase the value of secure, shared workspaces, ala Groove, eRoom, or Intranets?

Posted by Lisa At 03:10:01 PM On 03/16/2004 | - Website - |

2 - I have had an increasing problem with this, as we send license files through e-mail. First, I had to change the extension from .dll to .lic (they are not really DLLs, but it used to be easier for people to accept DLLs), then the .LIC attachments starting being rejected. I now create a temporary page for most customers for their licenses, but it is too manual. Soon, we will skip the e-mail entirely once we have a business relationship, and I'll have them post to a db and respond to the same db. It is really a shame, since e-mail should be the right solution.

Posted by Ben Langhinrichs At 11:02:47 AM On 03/18/2004 | - Website - |

3 - I think there's some traction for replacing SMTP with something better. Let's say Ben digitally signed that message. The customer's mail server should have an easier time accepting it, while still rejecting all "anonymous" attachments. We need something better than SMTP, so maybe all this fuss will get everyone working on a new mail protocol.

Posted by Brian Green At 02:25:25 PM On 03/18/2004 | - Website - |

4 - But what happens when virus-like stuff begins spreading through shared workspaces? It's just a workaround for ineffective virus scanning in the email world. If virus scanning isn't done in shared workspaces well, the problem just shifts.

Posted by Tim Latta At 06:06:51 PM On 03/19/2004 | - Website - |