The Cost of Spam

An employee wastes two working days per year dealing with spam, finds a new study.

the majority of spam costs stem from employees who spend working time identifying and deleting spam. The working time losses caused by spam are approximately 1,200 minutes per employee per year.

Companies can significantly reduce this cost by installing spam filters:

...cost savings accumulate to 439 minutes per person per yea...the primary concern in organizations should be the effectiveness of filter mechanisms on the individual level rather than central costs caused by spam

Due to the fact that cost-saving effects only occur for those users with an excessive spam load, those with little knowledge about spam, or those lacking adequate countermeasures, companies should primarily address these users in order to reduce costs through spam filters. For these users the installation of a spam filter will lead to the desired effect.