In a 2011 survey of more than 1,400 CIOs, more than half said they believed real-time communication technologies such as instant messaging and text messaging would overtake classic email within five years. That hasn’t happened, and may actually be even less likely today than it was back then.
What’s the problem? The workplace benefits of real-time communication tools haven’t changed. They still provide instant information about a colleague’s availability. They still make it easier to collaborate, share ideas and manage documents. They’re still lightweight and inexpensive (sometimes free).
A recent Webtorials survey of business professionals provides insight. While 75 percent said IM and chat are efficient tools, 42 percent said it was their least-favorite method of communicating. Email ranked as the most-preferred option, followed by face-to-face meetings and phone calls.
In other words, people like the idea of real-time messaging applications. They just don’t particularly like actually using them.
Respondents indicate the major frustration with this mode is the absence of a universal platform that bridges multiple systems into a single user interface. There are an astonishing number of proprietary programs that all perform the same basic function — transferring text-based electronic messages from one client to another. A walled-garden approach boosts security but prevents information in one app to be accessed by another. It’s not uncommon for people to need a half-dozen of these apps in order to communicate with diverse audiences.
Ideally, these apps are supposed to help us communicate and collaborate, but they often have the opposite effect. People report that continual streams of messages often interrupt their workflow. Real-time messaging also creates some pressure to respond instantly, which can lead to hurried — and sometimes regrettable — responses. In addition, people report that an increasing dependence on text-based communication can leave teams disconnected from real-time work conversations.
Email seems less disruptive to most people. It doesn’t scream for an immediate response, so people can take the time to craft more thoughtful and thorough responses. Most of all, it is easy and familiar and it works.
However, so much business communication now occurs by email that it has become a potential liability for some organizations. The Radicati Group recently reported that 132 billion emails are expected to be sent and received daily by the end of 2017. The sheer volume leads to mistakes that can compromise security. It seems as if there’s a high-profile security breach related to email nearly every week.
A big part of the problem is user apathy. Despite repeated warnings, people continue to view suspicious emails, open dubious attachments and click on questionable links. What’s more, many organizations aren’t making much of an effort to update their email infrastructure. Microsoft Exchange Mail Server 2010 remains in use in many companies, even though mainstream support ended in January 2015.
Many organizations are looking to cloud-based email platforms to boost email security. Among other advantages, hosted solutions relieve you of the burden of managing the complex system of servers, storage, operating systems, mail clients, directories, filters, e-discovery, backup and archiving solutions. Additionally, economies of scale allow cloud providers to make significant investments in security features that in-house systems might lack.
Although messaging apps may yet become the dominant form of business communication, email isn’t going away anytime soon. Security cannot be an afterthought, however. If you’re debating whether to boost your in-house security or whether to shift to a cloud-based solution, Verteks can help you explore your options.
