The world today is noisier than ever, and more pervasive. We are never alone -joggers have ipods to keep them company. We overhear bits of others phone conversations everywhere we go. A constant cacophony of information pours from a multitude of sources, some of it meant for you, some of it not.

We are migrating what used to be in private to the public world, with privacy no longer a given commodity. We have become a world under surveillance, by criminals, snoops and even our governing bodies. The price we pay is a creeping colonization of our privacy and a fundamental loss of personal security.

Nothing moves faster than the internet and email has become the preferred communications tool for those who want uninterrupted workflow, or those of us struggling to "stay in touch.” Currently, we have a Fast Food mentality towards email: speed versus quality becomes an issue. Replying to email in a timely manner often means having to respond to inputs more quickly with less time for thought, reflection, even accuracy. "You can't make phone calls or personal visits to all your friends very often, but you can 'cc' them regularly with a couple of keystrokes. That turns out to be very important," said Jeffrey Boase, co-author of the Pew Internet and American Life Project's report, "The Strength of Internet Ties" report which surveyed the importance of online communications in the lives of 60 million Americans. (1)

Communicating quickly is not necessarily the same as communicating effectively. There are trade-offs that comes with the speed and efficiency of email, the top concession being security and ultimately, privacy.

With increasing dependency on email (and the internet in general) as a tool for faster communication comes the need to recognize it's security shortcomings.

Shortcomings of all unencrypted email accounts: - All messages are sent in clear text, making any intercepted message readable to anyone.

Shortcoming of free email

services, such as Yahoo or Hotmail: - They archive your email online, making it far too easy for hackers to crack accounts and access contents.

Shortcoming of Internet Service Provider (ISP): - Although an ISP service will transfer messages you open to your own hard drive, a hacker can still get access to all email you haven't opened yet.

Shortcoming of Web Services such as Google: - It is now well documented that these services store your browser histories interminably, making your entire search history available for the asking. - Search engines are not fully shielded by the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act 2

We have had security issues for as long as we have had computers, and even today most computers do not have enough safeguards built in. Human management overhead can be expensive and complex, and inevitably there will be mistakes as well as ever evolving compliance issues to keep up with. The answer is to apply some intelligence and implement security products that will reduce the risk of error, products that can be effectively managed as assets of any business. Adopting a security solution creates a policy of preparedness versus reactionary scrambling in response to email incidents.

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