On Fri, 28 Sep 2007, Martin Hannigan wrote:
After researching the outsourced mail options, I found that the market is not mature or flexible enough yet. For example, we need the hook into automated systems, we need some level of control for front line support,
AT&T, Verizon, BT and so on have outsourced most of their subscriber email to other vendors (MSN and Yahoo) for years. I think they are the poster-children for companies with big, unwieldy OSSes. Likewise Critical Path has made a decent business supporting white label e-mail for many ISPs around the world. I've saw the duct tape from the inside and the outside. It ain't pretty, but they seem to make it work.
and we need assurances that the provider will comply with the laws of where *the subscribing network* may be regulated. Not another country. If we get a subpoena or surveillance request, we need to be in the loop since we (and you all) are regulated.
Of course, you could outsource your legal support to trusted third party vendors too :-) For only a small fee, they will solve all the problems.
Google was my best hope and it was too bad they barely responded. The application suite for ISP's might have been ok if it were tuned up a little, or had more information and a real person running the program. They seem to have the right idea. Throw massive reasons at the problem, build user base, generate ad revenue to pay for it, and sell services to others i.e. anti-fraud and anti-phishing.
Why should ISPs still pay to support subscriber e-mail either inhouse or outsourced, any more than paying to support USENET, Chat, FTP/HTTP Hosting, etc? Let subscribers choose whichever "free" or "fee-based" supplier, and wash your hands of both the support issues and the legal compliance issues.