Respondents to a recent IT Manager channel poll varied in their attitudes to spam--from having no policies or not seeing it as a problem, to tackling the influx by educating users on how to combat it.
Paul Norris, IT manager at direct marketing company National Direct Response, said that his approach was to try and educate users to avoid being placed on lists in the first place, with unsubscribing and intelligent use of filters also high on his agenda. In addition he suggests using software to return "undeliverable" responses back down the return path.
Another respondent argued the importance of educating users not just about spam, but also about virus hoaxes. "I've had users in the past deleting Windows DLLs because an e-mail from a friend told them to," the respondent said.
"While there is no punishment for somebody who stuffs up, they go on to the bottom of my 'to-do' list. I've found a day or so with no or restricted computer use is a fantastic teacher."
A Gartner research note "Anti-Spam tactics: What Works and What Doesn't" argued that low cost and inadequate spam-fighting tools won't stop spam, and would also require a great deal of staff time to manage the product and the complaints.
"Spam fighting is a difficult and ever-evolving game," the research note stated. "Gartner clients with tools to measure spam report that as much as 30 percent to 50 percent of the messages they receive are identified as spam. The content is becoming increasingly objectionable, colouring the working environment of unprotected companies and creating human resources issues."
Similarly, John Brand, senior program director of electronic business strategies, at analyst META Group, said that it had seen a greater interest from organisations trying to reduce the impact of spam. "The volume's increased dramatically over the last 12 to 18 months," Brand said.
Brand said that whether an e-mail is considered spam depends upon how it's viewed from the user's perspective. Solutions companies use vary, and include using software and rulesets.
However, he adds that these can require a lot of refinement and administration, with companies which want to control spam need to dedicate the resources to achieve this.
3%
2%
