Eric Mack On-Line

Looking back: Just 10 years ago, I took MailScout, our server-based rules package for cc:Mail and Lotus Notes, to exhibit at Lotusphere. Back then, spam was a small percentage of the total email received and many people felt that 25 - 40 emails was a high volume of email to receive in one day. MailScout helped people manage this "flood" of email.

One of the many success stories to come from our effort was an award of a single contract to deploy 80,000 seats of our productivity software for a single enterprise client. MailScout changed the way that productive people around the world managed their email, and I'm amazed to see that 10 years later, no one has quite matched some of the features in our original product.

Lotus Notes was rapidly growing in popularity in the enterprise messaging arena while the future of cc:Mail was uncertain in many customer's minds. We wanted to be ready for anything so we decided to play both sides of the fence by handing out thousands of buttons so that people could show their loyalty to either platform. (See photos)



The buttons were a huge hit, and people came to our booth in droves. Once there, the Peloria team of myself, Bailey Williams, Jennifer Jackman, and Tanny O'Haley provided information about our product and offered demonstrations.


The Peloria Technology Corporation team
(That's me, next to the guy who forgot to wear his binoculars.)

Lotusphere was a big step (and investment) for our tiny little software company, part of an amazing adventure, one which I will never forget. I'm thankful for the dedicated team (Bailey, Michael, Tanny, Jennifer, Linda, Jonathan, and Jenny, to name a few...) along with the investors who helped grow the company. (I eventually sold my interest in the company and moved on, resigning as CTO to pursue personal projects. Sadly, a few years later, Peloria became a casualty of the dot.com era.)

Looking forward: Today, 25-40 emails in a day is considered just a trickle, while flood status from some executives looks more like 250-400 emails in a day. I continue to work on innovative ways to show people new ways of getting things done using technology to enhance their personal and group productivity. Plans are in the works to attend Lotusphere next year to showcase several new eProductivity products and services.

To my friends and associates who will be attending Lotusphere this year, I wish you the best, safe travels, and an exciting time. It could be a big step for you as it was for me.

Do you have an interesting story to share about MailScout? If so, send me an e-mail with your story and I'll send you a button. I only have 5 left!

MailScout, Server-Based Rules for E-Mail
PagerGate, E-Mail to Pager Gateway

Over the past 20 years, I have invented a number of software and hardware products to help me live my dream of mobility & information management anywhere. Most of these inventions never leave the lab.  (If you've been here, then you know what I mean...)  Fortunately, a few of them have and have become quite successful.

In the early 1990's I licensed a few of my product designs to Peloria Technology Corp. - a software development company I co-founded by an early client, Bailey Williams. Bailey's vision, determination and leadership, allowed him to build a company that went on to sell several hundred thousand licenses of my products to clients in every corner of the world. .

PagerGate
I was always looking for a way to stay informed without having to stay put. I had managed to get most of my messages into my e-mail but had to stick near a terminal to check it. PagerGate was my first commercial software product. I developed this at ICA in the mid-1980's and then Peloria updated this product in the early 90's. PagerGate is a one-way e-Mail Paging gateway that works with any standard alphanumeric or numeric pager. Now, I could have all of my e-mail on my belt no matter where I was.

Mail Scout Server Based Rules
After I designed PagerGate, I found a flaw - I quickly realized that I did not want all of my messages coming to me wherever I was. I only wanted certain messages to find me. I also wanted a way to have my computer respond on my behalf when I was out. I began work on a product called the ICA Information Gateway in 1986 and continue to tinker with its design. One of the products to come out of the ICA Information Gateway Product Suite,  is Mail Scout.  Mail Scout  brings true Server Based Rules to e-Mail environments. Mail Scout will file, forward, delete, respond, and wirelessly deliver your e-mail while you are away from your desk. Tanny O'Haley, Peloria's V.P. of development,  did a fantastic job of implementing this product.

Skytel Two-Way Messaging Gateway
Imagine being able to receive and respond to your e-mail from wherever you are? I did. I wanted a system to allow me to not only receive my e-mail when I was on the road or in the mountains, but respond as well. One of the products, I designed in the mid-1990's, was a two-way wireless gateway for use with the Skytel 2-way wireless messaging system. This product was used by Peloria, Skytel, Motorola, and other wireless companies to offer wireless e-mail to their customers.

All of the above products were sold and supported by Peloria Technology Corporation.