However, the market is immature and trusted content delivery service providers vary greatly in service configuration, functionality, and integration with existing enterprise software. For the next 1-2 years, enterprises should consider these offerings primarily as tactical solutions for specific secure messaging requirements. Enterprises should also anticipate a great deal of volatility as the Internet collaboration market matures and players either merge with other players or disappear entirely.
Many enterprises have occasional requirements for secure messaging and online content delivery.
These ASP-based services vary widely in architecture, functionality, and integration with existing enterprise software. They all rely on a trusted third party, the ASP, that provides subscription-based accounts for message senders and recipients. Many ASPs also support digitally signed messages, secure storage, trusted timestamps, secure delivery receipts, policy-based content access controls, message tracking, and message archiving. The services approach provides an external, auditable source for logging data about the delivery event, and the equivalent of a signed receipt when the parcel is picked up. Promising as these services are, enterprises must think twice before entrusting such a sensitive application to an outsourcer.