Software : Industry voice: 3 questions to consider when choosing an email system

Industry voice: 3 questions to consider when choosing an email system
Microsoft has yet to patch 7-month old Internet Explorer zero-day vulnerability
More LG, Sony devices sinking their teeth into Android 4.4
Facebook gets its Shazam on with new audio recognition feature

Industry voice: 3 questions to consider when choosing an email system

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Next to the Web browser, there are few applications that we use more in our day-to-day business lives than email. Choosing a new or replacement email system is one of the more important technology decisions your organization will make. Here are three basic questions to consider:

Should the email system be implemented in the organization's data center or purchased as a service
How important is email security and privacy to the organization?
Should IT consider an open or proprietary email system?

With the rise in popularity of cloud-based email providers, first consider whether to implement the email system in your data center or purchase it as a service from an email provider. Security and privacy are two key considerations for selecting a cloud-based email provider.

Outsourcing

When outsourcing email to the cloud, you trust your provider to keep your organization's email safe and secure. Therefore, consider a provider that specializes in providing secure and private email. Encryption of email, both in transit and at rest, is another factor in choosing a new or replacement email system.

While the major email providers support encryption, the key to making the best choice is to understand who manages the encryption keys. If the service provider manages the encryption keys, it can ultimately decrypt your organization's email and use the information for marketing purposes or in response to a government subpoena. While many organizations consider this an acceptable risk, consider providers that allow for your organization to manage its own encryption keys.

The most important factor pertaining to privacy is whether the email provider is operating in the same country as your organization. If your provider is operating offshore, the laws and regulations of the country in which the provider is headquartered will determine the privacy of your email. Some of the major email providers have local data centers in an attempt to address this issue.

However, recent court rulings suggest that this is not enough. For example, the U.S. government recently ordered Microsoft to disclose Microsoft Exchange emails even though the data was stored in its regional data center located in Ireland. This set a precedent that no US-based company can refuse to share foreign clients' emails or private data. A best practice is to choose email providers that are headquartered in the country in which you do business.

On-premise email

Organizations that choose to implement an email system in their own data centers should consider systems that easily integrate with recognizable third-party antivirus, anti-spam, anti-phishing and encryption products. Implementing your own private email system means that you are responsible for keeping your email secure, private and in compliance with relevant industry regulations.

Regardless of whether you choose an on-premise or cloud-based service, another consideration is whether to use an open or proprietary email system. Proprietary systems are closed and do not provide visibility into how the email vendor addresses security and privacy issues. By providing access to source code, open source email systems provide this visibility.

Open source systems also tend to be more affordable, providing a number of free utilities such as desktop clients and integration with third-party products (these free utilities are provided by both vendors and third-party members of the open source community).

While there are several issues to consider before implementing an email system, security and privacy, on-premises versus cloud-based email, and open versus proprietary are three key factors that you should carefully consider before making your selection. However, these issues are not static; they evolve over time. So, regardless of which path you choose, select a vendor and service provider that puts your needs first, and considers your business as a long-term partnership.

Brent Rhymes is president of worldwide field operations at Zimbra

Microsoft has yet to patch 7-month old Internet Explorer zero-day vulnerability

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Nearly eight months after the security company TippingPoint informed Microsoft of a vulnerability affecting its web browser, Internet Explorer, the company has yet to issue a patch to quash that flaw.

The case was disclosed to Microsoft in October 2013 and has been made public by TippingPoint's Zero Day Initiative website on Wednesday. Only Internet Explorer 8, which was launched back in 2009 and came with Windows 7, is affected.

It is still by far the most popular browser in the world according to web analytics company, NetMarketShare, with nearly a fifth of the global market, which means that widespread attacks could take place.

Time to move to another browser?

To make matters worse, it is the most recent web browser available from Microsoft for Windows XP, which could pave the way for multi-pronged attacks. "This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations", says the description on ZDI's website.

It adds "User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file." To Microsoft's credit though, it did come back with ways to reduce the risk of an attack.

Setting Internet security zone settings to high might help, as configuring IE to prompt before running Active Scripting and installing its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit.

Arguably, using another web browser will eliminate the risk entirely. So, why not read our "Best browser 2014: which should you be using?" article.

More LG, Sony devices sinking their teeth into Android 4.4

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The latest version of Android continues a slow but steady wave across smartphones and tablets from nearly every OEM, and today we have a hump day update heading to a handful of devices from Sony and LG.

Sony announced the rollout of Android 4.4 KitKat to four devices, namely the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, the waterproof Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z, with another trio already in the update queue for July.

The over-the-air KitKat update delivers the usual performance improvements and UI optimizations, but Xperia fans also receive an all-new user interface experience ripped straight from the PlayStation 4, including new launch animation and live wallpaper.

With revamped Status Bar and Quick Settings, KitKat on Xperia also delivers tweaks to Sony's built-in apps, such as slicker "send" animation in Messaging, a smarter social Xperia Camera and a more responsive email client.

Your mileage may vary

Sony isn't the only manufacturer getting into the KitKat game as LG cleared the Optimus G Pro for a similar OTA update for AT&T customers in the US. It is arrives as a free, roughly 800MB download.

More specifically, AT&T's update brings the LG Optimus G Pro to Android 4.4.2 and delivers restyled status and navigation bars, a new full-screen mode, battery performance improvements and support for Google Cloud Print.

While LG customers on the AT&T network should be on the lookout for KitKat starting today, Sony's updates will be available in select markets, which will arrive in staggered releases at the discretion of carriers around the globe.

Next up for Sony is another wave of KitKat updates starting in July. It's promised the Xperia T2 Ultra, Xperia E1 and Xperia M2 (both available variants) will receive 4.4.

Find out if the Motorola Moto E is the little smartphone that could in our review!

Facebook gets its Shazam on with new audio recognition feature

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Since its inception, Facebook has slowly been putting together a digital identity from everything you like and do, down to your real-life movements. Now the social network has launched a new service that listens, too.

Facebook updated its iOS and Android apps with a new tool that can identify songs and television shows. Similar to Shazam, this new audio recognition feature will identify almost anything your listening to, making it easy to post in a status update.

Friends seeing any posted songs will be able click on your shared activity for a quick 30-second preview of the tune.

The feature also works with TV shows, including live TV and sporting events. Unlike songs, there won't be any embedded media in the News Feed, but you can discuss Game of Thrones spoilers with your friends.

The update is gradually coming to mobile apps over the coming weeks to app users in the US. Facebook has yet to release a timetable for when the update will arrive for all.

Say what

The new listening feature is off by default so the Facebook app won't ever listen in without the user knowing. Once users manually turn it on, the feature is one tap away with the smiley face icon on the status update window.

As a new part of Facebook's "Feelings" options, the feature is just another way for users to skip typing and make the News Feed a media rich experience.

See, hear, publish nothing

Facebook has a crummy privacy track record and history may be repeating itself again here.

Mashable alleged that the Facebook app listens in whenever users goes to the compose page, identifying songs or shows. Supposedly even if the user choses not to publish the information, it's still logged into Facebook's database.

Then there's the question of what else Facebook might be listening in on.

To help dissuade spying fears, the Facebook app prompts users with a message before turning on the listening tool that reads, "We can't identify background noise and conversation. Sounds are only used to find a match and are never stored."

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Thursday, May 22, 2014