NEW YORK … June 14, 2004 –According to “Secure Messaging for a Changing World,” a new benchmark research series from Nemertes Research LLC, one in five companies isn’t using anti-spam software, and just 23% use software for messaging compliance. E-mail is mission critical for businesses today, and the dangers posed by viruses, spam and compliance worry most IT executives. Yet many aren’t doing all they can to mitigate the risks.

Viruses are the oldest threat, and they’re what companies have the best handle on. Still, 30% experience hits that expand beyond one PC. An even bigger concern is spam, which has grown by more than 200% on corporate networks during the past year and accounts for nearly 40% of all traffic. Almost three-quarters of companies that don’t use anti-spam software plan to do so within 12 months—and they may be looking to their anti-virus vendor to provide it.

Almost three-quarters of IT executives say they’d like to get anti-spam and anti-virus technology from one vendor. IT executives are looking at viruses, spam and compliance as a single threat matrix—as they should, says Melanie Turek, Nemertes Principal Research Analyst. “It’s critical that companies approach messaging as an integrated whole, and protect such newer technologies as IM,” says Turek. “IT executives want and need to apply consistent rules across applications, while giving end users as much control and flexibility as possible.”

Messaging compliance ranks at the bottom of companies’ IT-priority lists. “Many IT executives are still waiting for HR or legal to tell them what to do,” says Turek. “But that’s a bad idea, since 43% say the buck stops with them when it comes to responsibility.”

This multi-volume, 150-page benchmark is the result of six months of in-depth interviews with dozens of IT executives across industries. It includes five cost models based on Nemertes’ Total Value of Service Delivered (TSVD) methodology and detailed recommendations for vendors and IT executives who want to reduce their messaging risk.