Yahoo Groups support appropriate-use policies for e-mail

Security Strategies This newsletter is sponsored by Nevis Networks Webcast: Cut Through NAC Hype Over the past few years, network access control has evolved to encompass a large number of endpoint security compliance, malware detection, access control and authentication products with very different focuses. Cut through the hype and confusion to find real-world NAC answers. Network World's Security Strategies Newsletter, 07/19/07 Yahoo Groups support appropriate-use policies for e-mail By M. E. Kabay In my last column, I introduced the issue of segregating private messages from official e-mail. A Yahoo group can provide a perfect mechanism for any organization to segregate personal, non-work-related e-mail from the official e-mail that supports work. Here are some advantages: * Membership in a Yahoo group is entirely voluntary; no one has to join, so no one has to receive personal messages, jokes, photos and so on if they don’t want to. The Security Standard - The Only Executive Summit Focused on the Business, Management and Strategic Aspects of Security September 10-11, 2007 | The Fairmont Hotel Chicago How do your security initiatives support company business goals? The answer to this question can make all the difference in gaining the corporate-wide support and resources you need to drive your security strategies. Uncover best practices and organizational strategies for achieving success by attending The Security Standard Conference. Click here for more details. Click here for more details * Groups can be defined as entirely private and by invitation only; they won’t even show up to casual visitors if the moderator configures the appropriate settings. * A group allows every member to specify how to receive or view messages. Some members may want to receive e-mail as soon as it is sent, whereas others may prefer to receive daily digests or to visit the Web site to see postings. A related advantage is that people who are highly sensitive to peer pressure can join the group if they feel that it would be rude not to do so and then simply ignore the traffic by never visiting the Web site at all. * There’s a single e-mail address for everyone in the group, and so the mailing list is automatically maintained as members alter their own e-mail address at any time. Old messages with their outdated CC: or TO: lists are thus no longer a cause of misdirected e-mail. Better yet, no one can carelessly send information to a distribution list based on an old message when the list actually includes inappropriate recipients. * All the traffic is archived; new members of the group can see previous messages and learn about the corporate culture or identify people they have a lot in common with by reading the old messages. Members also don’t have to copy the previous message in their reply, thus reducing the annoying occurrence of copies of copies of copies (….) in ever-longer and more junk-filled e-mail messages. * There are places to post pictures and other files for semi-permanent access. People who don’t want the files don’t have to see their e-mail cluttered with megabyte-sized attachments. * Members can post links to favorite Web pages in a special list. * One can create a simple directory for various purposes, such as recording personal interests or skills (playing musical instruments, sports, movie preferences and so forth). * There’s an easy method for creating simple polls to gather opinions about specific questions. * A shared calendar makes it easy to post news of events such as concerts, movie evenings and so on. Members of the group may be able to communicate invitations much more efficiently and less intrusively than by spamming colleagues using official e-mail. In collaboration with my deans, I plan to establish such a group for the SGS this summer. I am sure that it will provide a much better means of informal communication among our group than using official e-mail.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: M. E. Kabay, Ph.D., CISSP-ISSMP, is Associate Professor of Information Assurance and CTO of the School of Graduate Studies at Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. Mich can be reached by e-mail and his Web site. This newsletter is sponsored by Nevis Networks Webcast: Cut Through NAC Hype Over the past few years, network access control has evolved to encompass a large number of endpoint security compliance, malware detection, access control and authentication products with very different focuses. Cut through the hype and confusion to find real-world NAC answers. ARCHIVE Archive of the Security Strategies Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007