These changes, along with the draconian changes being made to Microsoft's operating systems, are only serving to further the point that Microsoft wants to be the only provider: and they want all content to be stored in their cloud.
Sorry, but, for a variety of reasons, I don't trust "the cloud."
Microsoft's actions, and apparent plans, run completely against some of the new security issues which are coming to the forefront. To name just a few:
- the most recent updates to the HIPAA portion of HITECH, which now mandates that the medical provider know WHERE the data is AT ALL TIMES and that the data is stored ONLY within the United States;
- the fact that while a cloud service might tout their services as "ultra secure," all it takes is a single disgruntled employee, or a single lapse of security on the part of a poorly trained employee, to make millions of records vulnerable;
- the fact that a single click on a compromised e-mail, not caught by spam and/or anti-virus filtering, can compromise an entire network, company, government, or even a country;
These issues are,even with what are, in my opinion, minor deficiencies, what make SmarterMail such a powerful product.
No product is ever going to be 100% to everyone's liking. There will always be someone who finds fault, or has criticism, about software - no matter how well written, no matter how compatible.
When properly configured: having been installed in a properly secured environment; on a fully patched server; running proper security practices; and with proper instruction and training having been provided to both the SmarterMail admins who have access to the physical server on which SmarterMail is installed, whether in person or via RDP; or who have administrative level access within SmarterMail; along with proper physical security; and proper configuration and training of the end users; SmarterMail is extremely secure and powerful.
The latest version of SmarterMail 14.2.5711 brings support for FIPS 140-2 which is indicative of future security enhancements to the product.
Remember: e-mail and web hosting are not plug-and-play. The services must be continuously monitored by us, the providers as we fend off new threats and deal with the concerns raised by our customers and other product vendors.
Bruce Barnes
ChicagoNetTech Inc
brucecnt@comcast.net
Phonr: (773) 491-9019
Phone: (224) 444-0169
E-Mail and DNS Security Specialist
Network Security Specialist
Customer Service Portal: https://portal.chicagonettech.com
Website: https://www.ChicagoNetTech.com
Security Blog: http://networkbastion.blogspot.com/
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