On Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:10:40 -0700 Ted Mittelstaedt <t...@ipinc.net> wrote:
> Or are we just going to end up with an Internet in about 10 years > where every single email box is either on Microsoft 365 or Gmail and > the NSA has a wonderful interface to use to hunt through whatever > they want without bothering with a warrant? I don't think every single mailbox will be like that, but sadly a lot will. A number of things are conspiring to cause this: 1) Gmail is actually pretty good at filtering spam. I can't speak for MSFT since I don't use it. 2) Especially in North America, companies are short-sighted and go for quick fixes and things that look cheap up-front without considering the long-term costs. 3) Especially in North America, people don't see the value in learning technology. They want simple, spoon-fed solutions and they love the word "oursourcing". Sorry if (2) and (3) are not PC, but the slag against North Americans is based on my personal experience. :) And hey, I'm Canadian so I can dis my own crowd... 4) Most non-technical small businesses equate "Mail Server" with "Microsoft Exchange", and Microsoft has steadily been making Exchange more and more of a PITA to administer. Each new version of Exchange breaks things and requires learning new procedures. Combine that with (3) and we see that MSFT is using on-premise Exchange as a trojan horse to get people on O-365. The huge pool of "managed service providers" that recommend MSFT solutions is by-and-large staffed by incompetents who are only too happy to shove their customers onto O-365 and collect kickbacks every month. We will be left in a niche market with people who really understand the value of controlling their own email. It'll be a much smaller market, but (I hope) a more discerning and intelligent one. Regards, David.