Push Technology or Push Email is a method of pushing content over the Internet to your targeted audience.  Another word for push email used to be 'Webcasting' which literally means broadcasting over the Web.  Webcasting is more like narrowcasting your message over a channel to a highly targeted audience.  Push email is a powerful method in delivering targeted information to users who want to read them.

If you're the type of user who get their news from the web, what you normally do is you visit your online news website, browse through the page and read your favorite section.  Perhaps in a day, you may visit the site twice or even thrice to see if there are news updates posted from the last time you visited the site.  If you're getting your online news from let's say three websites; you need to visit it nine times a days just to get updated.  Wouldn't it be nicer if you can just visit those sites once, click on your favorite sections and ask the site to push the content to your email or device everytime there's a new update available.  Not only will it save you a lot of time, it will really make you updated on what's happening around the world.

We as users can specify topics, types of content, categories and even websites that we are interested in.  In other words, it is highly customizable. 

The real beauty of push email is wherever you go, your email will follow you.  I am currently using a RIM (Research In Motion) Blackberry device and email sent to my inbox are automatically delivered to me just like an ordinary SMS message except that it is not limited to 160 characters and charging is based on filesize and not per message.  I can send email as well and even view attachments.  The RIM Blackberry is true push, while there are other devices that has a push effect using synchronization.

Businesses can also take advantage of this technology and allow their customers to signup for alerts.  Companies can automatically send updates and new information to their clients like new products, promotions, discounts, and events.  Information sent will be very targeted and will certainly reach the audience that patronizes your products.  Clients will even appreciate such information and will help develop a closer relationship with your company.  The information you sent will give your client the message that you're updating them because you care and you value their support.

For push email to work, the following should be present: Carrier Network - carrier network is synonymous with the selection of a telecommunications company; Communication Protocol refers to the method of transport or delivery of data across the wireless network; Device is the type of device you'll choose and Applications pertains to the level of functionality the user will require.

Securing push email is the same as securing email servers.  Central servers collect email from mailboxes and will push new emails out to devices using standard SMS and/or Internet protocols.  Organizations needs to centrally define and manage policies and automatically apply them to all inbound and outbound emails.  Treat your device simply as one of your workstations.  So whatever protection you give your network, it automatically applies to your email enabled device.

Just recently, Phenoelit security researcher Felix Lindner indicated that a vulnerability in the BlackBerry Enterprise Server could allow a hacker to send a specially crafted TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) file to execute an attack. Research In Motion (RIM) said the attack will prevent BlackBerry users from viewing attachments while other functionality, such as sending and receiving messages, making phone calls, Internet browsing, and using wireless-device applications to access company networks, would be unaffected.  RIM has developed a fix for the problem and said the upgrade software would be available as soon as the company has completed testing.  For the meantime, RIM is suggesting that users should filter out TIFF images or disable attachments on their BlackBerry. 

Push email will definitely be one technology that will go a long way.  Right now, push email is the most pervasive application for push technology.  Expect more applications to come our way soon.

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