Front Lines
(Originally published in Messaging Magazine, July/August
1998)
If the axiom for success in real estate is location, location, location, then surely at EMA, ours is focus, focus, focus. Throughout EMA’98, during membership and conference focus groups and in the recent Messaging Magazine readership survey, members have asked us to continue our focus providing more forums for messaging end-users to meet and learn from one another. If EMA is to be a learning organization for messaging end-users, it must also be a listening one. We are delivering in more ways than one.
This issue of Messaging Magazine is focused solely on end-user issues. The articles are written by leading enterprise professionals in such diverse fields as healthcare, media, government, petroleum and construction. The latest IT challenges and solutions are articulated in their own unique environments. The challenges are described in vivid detail. What’s required to migrate from multiple e-mail systems to a single corporate standard? The answers are found here.
Other ways of enabling user-to-user education will take place by holding our first-ever "end-user only" track during the 1998 EMA Solutions Summit and by reinstating Birds-of-a-Feather groups—both taking place October 28-30 at the Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa in Walt Disney World Village in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Hot topics such as the latest security and directories solutions you have asked for will also be at the forefront of the Solutions Summit.
Another very important way that EMA is tackling end-user issues is via the Security Challenge ‘99. The Security Challenge is an opportunity for user organizations to identify areas where vendors need to interoperate to enable secure end-to-end messaging. The Challenge is also a forum for vendors to identify solutions to overcome technical hurdles and demonstrate product improvements. Ultimately end-users will have a path to get their needs met and vendors will have increased awareness of the needs of the marketplace.
EMA is YOUR association. By participating in the work of your association you will find innumerable benefits. Whether your interests lie in speaking, writing, collaborating on technical efforts, serving a work group or committee, exhibiting, sponsoring or advertising, it is only by your personal efforts and contributions that EMA can successfully meet your needs. If you would like to contribute your time and resources to EMA, please write us at info@ema.org or call Lauren Haywood, our membership director at 703/524-5550 x 227.
As always, your participation truly makes the difference.
Kerry C. Stackpole, CAE
President & CEO, Electronic Messaging Association