In the meantime, companies are starting to make a business out of the issue. Similar companies attacking this problem include ActiveNames in New York and Veripost of Superior, Colo., which debuted its service in February. She wanted to switch providers but was afraid some of her e-mail would get lost if she did. Now every business card has an e-mail address. So they built software to address the problem, filed for a patent and started talking to Internet providers about paying to redirect customers.
Consumers pay, too.
That message also acts as advertising for Re-route, of course. The service can redirect mail from AOL , EarthLink and a growing list of other providers. The 10-person company has angel investors, including Ed Bersoff from BTG and Alan Merten , president of George Mason University . Flight from the communications group that helped create MicroStrategy 's public face continues this week as Michael Quint , director of public relations, leaves to become director of corporate communications at eGrail , a Bethesda software firm. Quint joins Joseph Payne , who recently quit his job as chief marketing officer of Vienna-based MicroStrategy to become chief executive of eGrail.