Happy New Year! As I returned from time off for holiday celebrations and a ski vacation, I was greeted by that bane of the modern office worker – an overflowing Inbox. Of course, today’s technology means I can check email remotely from anywhere in the world. However, even that doesn’t stop the messages from piling up. So, with a nod to my inbox, I decided to share some thoughts on 2019’s top email trends.
Email Trend 1 – Cloud Hosting
I’ve been around long enough to remember a time when email didn’t exist for most people. When it became widespread in the early 1990s, small businesses rushed to buy servers for hosting their email. Over our 30+ year history, Invario has supported on premise email servers for many of our customers. However, the downsides of this platform are hardware, software and support costs, slow performance, too many spam emails, a lack of security, and 24/7 human monitoring.
For these reasons, one of 2019’s top email trends is that many businesses are moving their email to the cloud. In this scenario, the email server is hosted (and maintained) in a high-performance, high-security hosting company using shared hardware and resources, rather than purchasing a server and maintaining email in-house. A major benefit of cloud email is that users can synchronize email, documents, and data across different devices. They can access business information no matter where they are located, even when the power is out at your office.
For a company migrating from Exchange, I recommend Office 365 rather than Hosted Exchange. The price of Office 365 can be significantly lower than the cost of Hosted Exchange for small and mid-sized organizations. Of course, there’s always G Suite for companies who prefer Google products over Microsoft.
Office 365 has several benefits over Hosted Exchange. Both options provide businesses with access to Contacts, Email, and Calendar. However, Office 365 also includes access to online versions of the Microsoft Office software, including OneDrive and Skype for Business. Hosted Exchange is built on the On-Premise Microsoft Exchange platform, current when one signs up. The Office 365 platform was released in 2011 and automatically receives continuous updates from Microsoft, transparent to the user.
Note that you will need at least Outlook 2013 to be compatible with Office 365 email today. If you are not there already, you will need to upgrade your version of Office at your company, include the full office applications in the Office 365 subscription, or only use email through the web apps.
Another advantage is that Office 365 provides documented security standards, such as SOC-2 reports, FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) credentials, and other certifications like SSAE 16 Certified, ISA 27001 Certified, and EU Safe Harbor Compliant. Hosted Exchange options may be secure, but they don’t have all the credentials listed above.
Speaking of security…
Email Trend 2 – Phishing Targeting Small Businesses
In 2018, hackers increasingly went after small and mid-sized businesses. I expect this is an email trend will continue in 2019. One of their most effective methods is to create targeted phishing emails using sophisticated techniques. For example, spoofing the email so that it appeared to come from a trusted friend or colleague.
Here are some reminders on how not to fall victim to these attacks:
- Be suspicious of emails you aren’t expecting or that seem out of character – Even when they come from people you know and trust
- Don’t click on links in email, instead open a web browser and type in the address – Hover over the link and carefully inspect the domain
- Never divulge sensitive information such as passwords or account numbers via email – NEVER PUT INFORMATION IN AN EMAIL THAT YOU WON’T PUT ON A POST CARD
- Never transfer money solely through e-mail communication – verify another way
Unfortunately, in the rush to deal with the flood of messages in your inbox, it can be all too easy to click on the wrong thing. This leads me to…
Email Trend 3 – Inbox Management Tools
The third of 2019’s top email trends is inbox management tools. Some people I know follow a methodology called Take Back Your Life, a workflow management system that uses Microsoft Outlook or G Suite to improve productivity. A tenet of this system is to organize incoming email using what they refer to as the four D’s: delete it, do it, delegate it, defer it. Those items that are deferred are further categorized and prioritized, with the ultimate goal being an empty inbox.
I confess, I’ve never been able to work all the way through to an empty inbox. Plus, as an engineer, I tend to gravitate toward technology solutions for my challenges. One of my favorite products is SaneBox. This is a software program that filters my email, leaving important messages in my Inbox while moving the rest to a SaneLater box where I can go through them at my leisure. Using SaneBox has allowed me to become much more productive when it comes to running Invario and responding to customers in a timely manner. Given my experience, I see increased use of email management software as another trend for 2019.
Something to point out is that SaneBox still requires discipline. It is important to go through your SaneLater box regularly. A message from someone you have never corresponded with in the past, or even a good customer using their personal instead of work mail, will likely end up in the SaneLater pile. If you don’t go through the pile regularly you may miss those opportunities that come out of the blue. When you do find these gems in your SaneLater, just dragging the message to your Inbox trains SaneBox for the next time this individual sends an email.
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Dave Wilson