Really Simple Syndication (RSS) has emerged in recent years as an efficient means of pushing regularly updated content to the desktop. As the tools to integrate RSS more seamlessly into messaging infrastructure continue to mature, administrators may be tempted to dive in. Info-Tech advises against near-term, wholesale implementation for internal messaging infrastructure.

E-mail: Love and Hate, All at the Same Time

Although many enterprises are already building RSS feeds into their corporate Web sites to more efficiently feed content to clients, suppliers and other external constituents, the most compelling and most often overlooked benefits are internally-focused. As a complement to existing e-mail-based services, RSS can streamline the delivery of certain types of tailored content to end-users' desktops.

While e-mail is an effective tool for user-to-user communication, its weaknesses are exposed when it is used for mass-scale internal distribution. When e-mail is used by leadership to deliver messages...