Calcium searches for email reliability

By RICHARD PAMATATAU

Auckland software house Calcium has received a $100,000 grant from Technology New Zealand to help it "make email respectable again".

Calcium has developed a one-to-one email tool called mailPrimer. It places email into a template which incorporates the sender organisation's branding and corporate or legal information, in much the same way as if the communication was being sent on traditional letterhead.

The grant is part of a one-for-two scheme which means Calcium now has $300,000 to put into research and development.

Gael de Kerdanet, Calcium chief executive, said the project aimed to make email safer.

"Email is starting to be perceived as unsafe due to the numerous spam, viruses, worms and phishing issues plaguing it.

"This will begin to have a negative impact on business as email today represents some 42 per cent of a business' daily interaction with stakeholders.

"The grant will be used to research ways of bringing respectability and reliability back into daily email communications."

He said many companies spent a fortune on brand and image building but forgot that email was often the primary communication channel.

Calcium is partnering with Chameleon Software, which makes web technology, and Aftermail, a company making email follow-up systems.

Mr de Kerdanet said new technology would result from the company's latest project, which began this month.