Wolfstar Social Media News Room

US businesses warned of system overload as staff email Thanksgiving photos and videos

New York, NY - November 18, 2005: Small businesses across America could be under threat, experts warned today, as Thanksgiving Day approaches. All across America people will be coming together to offer thanks and hold family gatherings, preparing special thanksgiving meals and taking part in thanksgiving parades. But as employees return to work it is expected that they will send photographs and even videos as huge email attachments.

New York based messaging and collaboration software company Softalk says that as small and medium sized businesses don’t have their own large IT departments to manage and monitor their email system they will be particularly under threat.

"Email is now vital for many small and medium sized businesses and has even overtaken many traditional methods of business communication like telephone and post," said Simon Bates, joint CEO of Softalk. "So I can’t stress enough how important it is for small and medium sized firms to make sure they have an up to date system that can cope, too many businesses make the mistake of relying on outdated systems which will leave them vulnerable to collapse."

By following these simple steps Softalk say businesses can protect their systems against collapse:

• Set limits for maximum size of attachments that can be sent and received through the email server
• Prevent employees using the email server for storing huge files of personal photographs and videos by setting quotas for individual users mailboxes
• Prevent users from sending or receiving certain types of attachment using the email server
• Prevent viruses getting in disguised as holiday photos by installing up to date anti-virus filters
• Cut down on the unproductive email clogging up users in-boxes by installing anti-spam filters
• Always ensure that filters are up to date without the need to update every individual user’s PC by implementing anti-virus and anti-spam security at the email server level
• Make sure your employees understand how they are allowed to use the company email system for personal use by having clear policies in place
• Ensure that policies include rules to ensure that employees don’t send or receive inappropriate images
• Check that your email server is robust enough and has the capacity to cope with the demands of today’s email traffic which has increased from an average of 15 billion emails a day in 2001 to an average of 132 billion a day in 2005.
• Ensure that you are backing up and archiving your email database on a frequent and regular basis

About Softalk

Softalk provides a range of messaging, collaboration and contact relationship management software solutions specifically designed to benefit small to medium size businesses. Softalk was set up in 1993 and is a privately held company headquartered in Maidenhead in the UK with a US office in New York. Customers include American Express, British Chamber of Commerce, Cancer Research, Cap Gemini France, Cisco, Lufthansa and Xerox. Its products include Softalk Collaboration Suite which includes WorkgroupMail, an email server for small businesses; WorkgroupShare to enable organisations to share Outlook folders without the need for Microsoft Exchange; and Softalk Organizer, a web-based collaboration client enabling users to share calendars, contacts and email. OfficeTalk is a low cost contact and customer relationship management solution enabling the whole team to share corporate information. For more information visit www.softalkltd.com or join in the conversation at our blog at talk.softalkltd.com.

New York, NY - November 18, 2005: Small businesses across America could be under threat, experts warned today, as Thanksgiving Day approaches. All across America people will be coming together to offer thanks and hold family gatherings, preparing special thanksgiving meals and taking part in thanksgiving parades. But as employees return to work it is expected that they will send photographs and even videos as huge email attachments.

New York based messaging and collaboration software company Softalk says that as small and medium sized businesses don’t have their own large IT departments to manage and monitor their email system they will be particularly under threat.

"Email is now vital for many small and medium sized businesses and has even overtaken many traditional methods of business communication like telephone and post," said Simon Bates, joint CEO of Softalk. "So I can’t stress enough how important it is for small and medium sized firms to make sure they have an up to date system that can cope, too many businesses make the mistake of relying on outdated systems which will leave them vulnerable to collapse."

By following these simple steps Softalk say businesses can protect their systems against collapse:

• Set limits for maximum size of attachments that can be sent and received through the email server
• Prevent employees using the email server for storing huge files of personal photographs and videos by setting quotas for individual users mailboxes
• Prevent users from sending or receiving certain types of attachment using the email server
• Prevent viruses getting in disguised as holiday photos by installing up to date anti-virus filters
• Cut down on the unproductive email clogging up users in-boxes by installing anti-spam filters
• Always ensure that filters are up to date without the need to update every individual user’s PC by implementing anti-virus and anti-spam security at the email server level
• Make sure your employees understand how they are allowed to use the company email system for personal use by having clear policies in place
• Ensure that policies include rules to ensure that employees don’t send or receive inappropriate images
• Check that your email server is robust enough and has the capacity to cope with the demands of today’s email traffic which has increased from an average of 15 billion emails a day in 2001 to an average of 132 billion a day in 2005.
• Ensure that you are backing up and archiving your email database on a frequent and regular basis

About Softalk

Softalk provides a range of messaging, collaboration and contact relationship management software solutions specifically designed to benefit small to medium size businesses. Softalk was set up in 1993 and is a privately held company headquartered in Maidenhead in the UK with a US office in New York. Customers include American Express, British Chamber of Commerce, Cancer Research, Cap Gemini France, Cisco, Lufthansa and Xerox. Its products include Softalk Collaboration Suite which includes WorkgroupMail, an email server for small businesses; WorkgroupShare to enable organisations to share Outlook folders without the need for Microsoft Exchange; and Softalk Organizer, a web-based collaboration client enabling users to share calendars, contacts and email. OfficeTalk is a low cost contact and customer relationship management solution enabling the whole team to share corporate information. For more information visit www.softalkltd.com or join in the conversation at our blog at talk.softalkltd.com.

Softalk ranked number fourteen fastest growing technology company in London and the South East on the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 50

Softalk attributes its 450 percent revenue growth to producing messaging, collaboration and contact relationship management software specifically designed for small and medium sized businesses.

Softalk today announced that it ranked number fourteen in the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 50, a ranking of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in London and the South East.  Rankings are based on average percentage revenue growth over five years, from 2000-2005. Softalk grew 450 percent during this period.

"Small and medium size businesses don't want the complexities of a huge, enterprise level system that has artificial limitations simply so that it can be sold to a different market," said Softalk's joint CEO, Simon Bates, "Instead we've designed and built systems that specifically meet the needs of small and medium size businesses as well as education, government and voluntary sector organisations."

"Growing the top line enough to make the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 is especially meaningful during tough economic times for the technology sector," said William Touche, national managing partner of Deloitte's Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group.  "We congratulate Softalk on becoming one of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the UK and Ireland."

Fast 50 Selection and Qualifications

The Fast 50 list is compiled from Deloitte's nominations submitted directly to the Fast 50, and public company database research.  To qualify for the Fast 50, entrants must have had 2000 operating revenues of at least 50,000 Euros. Deloitte researchers examined financial statements to validate operating revenues.

Entrants must also be public or private companies headquartered in a participating region of the UK and must be a "technology company," defined as a company that owns proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company's operating revenues; or devotes a significant proportion of revenues to the research and development of technology.  Using other companies' technology in a unique way does not qualify.

"Being one of the fastest growing technology companies in the UK is an impressive accomplishment. We commend Softalk for making the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 with a phenomenal 450 per cent growth rate over five years," said William Touche, national managing partner of Deloitte's Fast 50 Awards.

About Softalk

Softalk provides a range of messaging, collaboration and contact relationship management software solutions specifically designed to benefit small to medium size businesses. Softalk was set up in 1993 and is a privately held company headquartered in Maidenhead in the UK with a US office in New York. Customers include American Express, British Chamber of Commerce, Cancer Research, Cap Gemini France, Cisco, Lufthansa and Xerox. Its products include Softalk Collaboration Suite which includes WorkgroupMail, an email server for small businesses; WorkgroupShare to enable organisations to share Outlook folders without the need for Microsoft Exchange; and Softalk Organizer, a web-based collaboration client enabling users to share calendars, contacts and email. OfficeTalk is a low cost contact and customer relationship management solution enabling the whole team to share corporate information. For more information visit www.softalkltd.com or join in the conversation at our blog at talk.softalkltd.com.

Softalk attributes its 450 percent revenue growth to producing messaging, collaboration and contact relationship management software specifically designed for small and medium sized businesses.

Softalk today announced that it ranked number fourteen in the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 50, a ranking of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in London and the South East.  Rankings are based on average percentage revenue growth over five years, from 2000-2005. Softalk grew 450 percent during this period.

"Small and medium size businesses don't want the complexities of a huge, enterprise level system that has artificial limitations simply so that it can be sold to a different market," said Softalk's joint CEO, Simon Bates, "Instead we've designed and built systems that specifically meet the needs of small and medium size businesses as well as education, government and voluntary sector organisations."

"Growing the top line enough to make the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 is especially meaningful during tough economic times for the technology sector," said William Touche, national managing partner of Deloitte's Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group.  "We congratulate Softalk on becoming one of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the UK and Ireland."

Fast 50 Selection and Qualifications

The Fast 50 list is compiled from Deloitte's nominations submitted directly to the Fast 50, and public company database research.  To qualify for the Fast 50, entrants must have had 2000 operating revenues of at least 50,000 Euros. Deloitte researchers examined financial statements to validate operating revenues.

Entrants must also be public or private companies headquartered in a participating region of the UK and must be a "technology company," defined as a company that owns proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company's operating revenues; or devotes a significant proportion of revenues to the research and development of technology.  Using other companies' technology in a unique way does not qualify.

"Being one of the fastest growing technology companies in the UK is an impressive accomplishment. We commend Softalk for making the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 with a phenomenal 450 per cent growth rate over five years," said William Touche, national managing partner of Deloitte's Fast 50 Awards.

About Softalk

Softalk provides a range of messaging, collaboration and contact relationship management software solutions specifically designed to benefit small to medium size businesses. Softalk was set up in 1993 and is a privately held company headquartered in Maidenhead in the UK with a US office in New York. Customers include American Express, British Chamber of Commerce, Cancer Research, Cap Gemini France, Cisco, Lufthansa and Xerox. Its products include Softalk Collaboration Suite which includes WorkgroupMail, an email server for small businesses; WorkgroupShare to enable organisations to share Outlook folders without the need for Microsoft Exchange; and Softalk Organizer, a web-based collaboration client enabling users to share calendars, contacts and email. OfficeTalk is a low cost contact and customer relationship management solution enabling the whole team to share corporate information. For more information visit www.softalkltd.com or join in the conversation at our blog at talk.softalkltd.com.

Leeds PR man is one of an international line-up of speakers at blogging conference

Leeds-based PR consultant Stuart Bruce is one of a panel of international experts who will speak at a major national conference on the impact of weblogs and new communications technology on public relations. The Making the News: Blogs, RSS and the New PR conference is attracting delegates from all over the UK from businesses that are recognising the rapid changes in the way some forms of public relations and marketing communications are practised, especially in the United States.

Speakers at the conference include influential blogger and Microsoft Ireland PR Tom Murphy, US new communications specialist Elizabeth Albrycht of the Society for New Communications Research, and Amsterdam-based British podcast expert Neville Hobson. Stuart Bruce, managing partner of Leeds-based Bruce Marshall Associates will be providing practical advise on what UK businesses and public sector organisations should, and should not, be doing,

"As one of the first UK business people to start a professional blog I'm delighted to see that business blogs are beginning to gain wider acceptance in the UK. Being based in Leeds means that I can help Yorkshire businesses to be at the forefront of these new communications trends," explained Stuart Bruce, managing partner of Bruce Marshall Associates.

The conference is at the University of Sunderland on Friday, November 18. To book one of the few remaining places contact Nicky Wake on 01706 828855 or email nicky@dontpanicprojects.com.

Conference organiser Philip Young, senior lecturer in PR at Sunderland, said: "There has been an clear upsurge in interest in blogging in the UK as practitioners realise the challenges and opportunities it is bringing.

"We have now gone well beyond the view that blogs are just 'online diaries'. Something new is emerging that will shape the way PRs operate. There is a growing belief that weblogs are much more than a minor technological advance, but a potentially highly significant shift in the ways organisations engage with their publics."

Conference delegates will leave with practical information that provides tangible, deliverable business/organisational benefits, including:

• Awareness of potential opportunities/threats of weblogs for public and private sector PR teams
• Access to latest, comprehensive research into how newsrooms want and use PR-sourced information
• A copy of the University of Sunderland Style Guide for PR Writers, delivered on CD for unlimited users

ENDS