One company's experience with downtime

Unified Communications This newsletter is sponsored by New Edge Networks MPLS: The tool for a robust virtual workplace Get real-world advice on how to best support and manage your organizations virtual workforce. Listen to this complimentary Webcast, Building IP Networks for the Distributed Workforce, to hear how selecting the right WAN service to support distant employees can make all the difference. Click here to register now. Network World's Unified Communications Newsletter, 10/02/07 One company’s experience with downtime By Michael Osterman A member of our survey panel sent me information on his company’s experience with e-mail system downtime. Here is a lightly paraphrased version of what he sent me: “I just looked through my calendar to see when I last had an unscheduled e-mail system outage. It was on Aug. 10, 2002. We diagnosed the problem as a 'corrupted' or strange character header record on an e-mail that got stuck, and when I rebooted the server, the system wouldn’t load and held up the other programs from loading. Once we identified that e-mail and moved it out of the way to a temporary spot and rebooted the server, everything worked fine. "The e-mail in question went to the president/managing partner of my company. It was a newsletter from a foreign newspaper and we think the strange character was just a letter that the e-mail system couldn’t interpret or handle properly. A similar newsletter letter came in a while later and caused the same problem. Network World's Network Applications Buyer's Guide Find the right network applications for your enterprise - fast. Our extensive database of detailed product information will help you quickly pinpoint what you need. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyer's Guide now. "I called up my IT guy, told him I think it happened again, and he was able to come over the next morning on his way into his office, fix the problem in 15 minutes, because he knew where to look, and didn’t have to troubleshoot the issue. We installed the e-mail system update at a later date and the problem never reoccurred. "I remember this incident well because that was the only unscheduled e-mail system outage ever!!!! I’m sure customers of other e-mail systems don’t have that kind of reliability and stability.” Two questions: a) what e-mail system do you think this is and b) has anyone else ever had their e-mail system operate for more than five years without a downtime incident?   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: For webinars or research on messaging, or to join the Osterman Research market research survey panel, go here. Osterman Research helps organizations understand the markets for messaging and directory related offerings. To e-mail Michael, click here. This newsletter is sponsored by New Edge Networks MPLS: The tool for a robust virtual workplace Get real-world advice on how to best support and manage your organizations virtual workforce. Listen to this complimentary Webcast, Building IP Networks for the Distributed Workforce, to hear how selecting the right WAN service to support distant employees can make all the difference. Click here to register now. ARCHIVE Archive of the Unified Communications 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