Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Mobile
    • Networking

    Wide-Open Web? Think Again

    By
    Eric Lundquist
    -
    February 13, 2006
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Remember when you would pick an e-mail system based on its unique capabilities? Maybe youd pick cc:Mail or IBM PROFS or even Microsoft Mail for the ability to shuttle e-mail around your company with a reasonable assurance that the message would get to the intended recipient.

      The rise of the Internet and the World Wide Web forever upended the dynamics of e-mail, making it as easy to send mail to Moscow as it is to send mail to a co-worker down the hall. Uniqueness was out, and the ability to play well with others became the deciding factor on corporate e-mail.

      For the CIO, uniqueness may be back in. Ive been noticing lately all the plans to set up private Internets, private Webs and cost-based e-mail. This marks the third big change for the technology manager.

      The first big change was the need to shift private corporate transactions among customers, suppliers and manufacturers to secure public networks. The second (and ongoing) change was the need to shift from transactions to conversations using e-mail, Web sites, blogs and community sites to engage customers and potential customers. The third change will be selecting the networks that best enhance both transaction and conversation.

      Consider the following: One of the hottest rumors recently was Googles alleged plans to buy and build a private Internet that would rival the public Net. While rumors have a way of dissolving over time, Googles efforts to secure building leases and equipment RFPs indicate a stronger desire than simply eliminating peering costs for Internet access.

      Googles plans appear to be traveling toward a head-on collision with the big telecommunications companies, which are arguing that companies such as Google are getting a free ride on the backs of the billions of dollars the telecom providers have been investing in Internet infrastructure.

      By legislation or corporate competition, companies such as Verizon appear determined to end that ride. In the e-mail arena, both Yahoo and AOL recently endorsed a plan to use Goodmails services to charge mass e-mailers a fee for e-mail distribution. No matter how you add it up, the days of the wide-open Internet and applications such as e-mail and VOIP riding over that Net appear numbered.

      /zimages/3/28571.gifGoodmail isnt the only good mail, and doesnt even really claim to be. But it is a good thing. Click here to read more.

      When the Internet standard arose, you as a technology manager no longer had to evaluate which of the unique but incompatible e-mail systems was best for your company. You could make the choice on which system most closely adhered to the worldwide Internet network. Now the job gets tough again as you evaluate which private Net, VOIP or anti-spam e-mail provider best fits your corporate business strategy.

      Will you go all Google at some point, not only for public and private search and e-mail but also for secure Internet access? Will your telecom contract with Verizon for mobile communications also include priority Internet routing? Will customer complaints about getting spammed and deep-sixing your corporate e-mail solicitations lead you to advocate becoming a Goodmail customer? These are all new technology alternatives that are either available now or will soon become corporate IT possibilities.

      The rise of the private Nets and applications springs from very reasonable business strategies. If your company invests several millions or billions of dollars in a project, youd like to get some return on that investment. That makes sense, but it also involves putting some gates and fences around what were once wide-open grazing fields.

      The Internet, by being accessible to all, rolled over all other competing proprietary technologies. The advent of Internet-based e-mail systems made it easy not only to send e-mail to Moscow but also to send millions of spam e-mails. The creation of those fenced-off fields marks a third stage of maturation in the Internet and also adds a new level of complexity for the technology manager trying to make the right choices to support a companys business strategy.

      eWEEK editorial director Eric Lundquist can be reached at [email protected]

      /zimages/3/28571.gifFor reader response to this article, click here.

      /zimages/3/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for more on IM and other collaboration technologies.

      Eric Lundquist
      Since 1996, Eric Lundquist has been Editor in Chief of eWEEK, which includes domestic, international and online editions. As eWEEK's EIC, Lundquist oversees a staff of nearly 40 editors, reporters and Labs analysts covering product, services and companies in the high-technology community. He is a frequent speaker at industry gatherings and user events and sits on numerous advisory boards. Eric writes the popular weekly column, 'Up Front,' and he is a confidant of eWEEK's Spencer F. Katt gossip columnist.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×