Spam Replaces Security as Top Messaging Priority

Spam has become such an obstacle on enterprise networks that battling it has replaced security as the top corporate priority when it comes to messaging.

A new report from The Radicati Group, Inc., a market research firm based in Palo Alto, Calif., shows that 52 percent of companies rate reducing spam as their top priority. Improving security against information leaks and hackers came in second with 30 percent, and migrating or upgrading messaging software came in third with 28 percent.

The Corporate Messaging Survey shows that the enterprise focus on messaging definitely has shifted over the last three years. In 2001 and 2002, security issues took the top seat. But this year, security has taken a backseat to controlling spam.

And Radicati analysts say that’s no surprise since companies are more flooded with email than ever before. Email traffic, notes the report, has grown 81 percent just since last year. The average corporate email user today receives about 81 email messages a day and sends 29.

And spam — unsolicited commercial email — is making up a significant portion of that email traffic.

On average, 24 percent of incoming email is spam. And the study also shows that 86 percent of companies are taking measures to control it.

When it comes to corporate messaging, instant messaging is fast becoming a topic of great interest.

The Radicati study shows that 70 percent of respondents are using IM. However, only 26 percent have gone so far as to standardize on one corporate-wide solution. The report also shows that casual communications with colleagues continues to be the most common usage of IM in the workplace.