Front
Lines
by Kerry C. Stackpole, CAE
EMA President & CEO
(Originally published in Messaging Magazine, May/June 1999)
In a city renown for conspiracy theories, was it just coincidence that as messaging professionals from around the world gathered for EMA’99/Dallas, the ruthless "Melissa" and "papa" computer viruses were launched from a tiny hovel in New Jersey? That was just one of many questions addressed by messaging professionals gathered for EMA’s annual brainfest on all things messaging, including electronic business, wireless messaging, paging, universal messaging, e-mail, Internet fax, directories, security, PKI, and so much more. Judging from the excitement of those in attendance, Dallas was most definitely the place to be.
EMA’99/Dallas marked the first time ever EMA has broadcast its main events on the World Wide Web. Thousands of messaging professionals hunkered down at their computers, could see and enjoy The Great Debate between Microsoft, Lotus and Netscape on the future of messaging. It was an extraordinary and fascinating glimpse into the future, from the unique and sometimes contentious perspectives of several of the industry’s key suppliers. You have to take a look, if you missed this great event. Log on to www.ema.org and go to the Webcast page. As a special treat, you’ll also find two additional sessions on security and virus protection that were also Webcast on the same day. Special thanks go to Sven James of CompuSven for his inspiration, energy and sponsorship of The Great Debate.
By now, you’ve received your inaugural copy of @EMA.org, our new bi-monthly "members-only" publication. We hope you’ll find the updates, articles and quick commentary entertaining, informational and most importantly useful. Yolanda Akinrimisi edits the newsletter, here on our staff. She welcomes your feedback and comments and is interested in hearing from end-users with short stories, commentaries and tips on messaging and electronic business strategy. She can be reached at yolanda.akinrimisi@ema.org.
If you were with us in Dallas, you were among the first to learn of EMA’s refreshing embrace of a far more multi-faceted and engaging vision of the future as the world of electronic business continues its meteoric and global growth trajectory. Among the most exciting ventures was the announcement of the launch of Challenge 2000, an extraordinary opportunity for providers and end-users to demonstrate interoperable secure messaging on a global scale and the Board of Director’s support for a more reflective vision and fresh name for EMA. As we move into the next millennium, EMA—The Electronic Business Forum will be leading the evolution of electronic business to fulfill the promise of a true, global electronic community. Please be sure your seatback is in the upright position and your seat belt securely fastened, it’s going to be a wonderful, enlightening and engaging journey. MM