Receiving Too Much Junk Email? IBS Offers Tips for Minimizing it

Sept. 29, 2010 - PRLog -- While firewalls and email filtering programs are the first lines of defense against productivity-sapping, security-jeopardizing email spam, real estate companies and their employees can take additional steps to minimize the number of messages that do land in their inboxes, according to property management and accounting systems provider Integrated Business Systems (IBS) of Totowa. The company's Network Services division provides full consulting, installation and support for computer and networking technologies.

"Spam is getting worse," noted Matt Weber, manager of network services at IBS. "Most companies today recognize the importance of using spam filtering software - whether as an in-house application or a hosted solution. But spammers are finding more creative ways to get around these programs. Junk email not only impacts productivity for employees who spend time sorting through their inboxes but also can bog down a company's email server."

Filtering programs allow companies to control their rules and settings for defining spam. However, according to Weber it can be challenging to find a middle ground between highly restrictive filtering policies that may send too many valid emails to quarantine, and filtering that is too lax and enables a significant volume of spam messages to pass through.

"The goal is finding a balance that limits spam significantly while letting a majority of valid emails to come through," Weber said. "It really is an ongoing process as spammers become increasingly savvy."

Weber notes that while it is impossible to eliminate spam altogether, companies and their employees can take several proactive measures - even beyond filtering - to limit it. Following are a few tips that can help.

   * Be sure that email addresses are obfuscated on company web sites, which will prevent spam robots from harvesting them.
   * Use a graphic of email addresses, rather than a hyperlink, in email signatures.
   * Search email addresses to see how visible they are to spammers; have addresses removed from web sites and newsgroups that come up as results, if possible.
   * Set up two email addresses: one for personal messages and one for registering for newsgroups, web subscriptions and other public online locations.
   * Check privacy policies on web sites when filling out forms that require an email address; be sure that email addresses will not be provided to others. Check boxes to "opt out" of receiving third-party mailings, whenever possible.
   * Do not open spam emails or click on links in them. Do not reply to spam or try to "unsubscribe," which only serves to verify to spammers that they have targeted a legitimate address.

In addition to trying to limit the amount of spam received, companies also should work hard to avoid sending what look like spam messages to customers and potential customers, according to Weber.

"Focus on creating clear subject lines, which are less likely to result in recipients marking the messages as spam and, ultimately, being blocked by their web host," he said. "Use your company name and state the email's purpose: a message with the subject line ‘IBS user newsletter' is less likely to be junked than one labeled as ‘Check out our latest news.'"

IBS Network Services offers both hosted email filtering solutions as well as in-house software products. The firm embraces the newest and most powerful technologies to ensure reliable network infrastructures, from individual workstations to enterprise-class communication systems. This includes Microsoft Windows Servers, PC operating systems and associated applications.

Founded in 1979, IBS is nationally recognized as a leader in real estate system software for owners, developers and property managers. Its Network Services department is an outgrowth of services offered to the firm's residential and commercial real estate clients. Today, the Network Services team continues to serve IBS system users but also enjoys a diversified client base that reaches beyond commercial real estate.

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About IBS: Founded in 1979, Integrated Business Systems (IBS) provides in-house real estate automation systems for commercial and residential real estate owners, developers and property managers. The IBS software addresses virtually all property management, accounting and construction management tasks. Reflecting three decades of development history, the system offers unparalleled functionality and auditability. IBS is well known for its superior product and unparalleled service. As a result, IBS's client list boasts more than 100 prominent real estate companies' including many of the industry's most elite organizations in the United States.