[Dovecot] What would you tell the CIO in an "ABCs of Email" overview?

[Esther Schindler]

One of the key points that came up when I researched and wrote the  
"Five Things CIOs Should Know about Fighting Spam" article (http:// 
www.cio.com/article/28830) was that they should know the basics of  
how email works. Otherwise, said plenty of techies, the CIO won't  
have the first idea of what the email admin is complaining about.

So I'm going to do my part. I'm going to write an "ABCs of Email"  
article (to accompany the many other ABCs articles we have on  
CIO.com, at http://www.cio.com/article/40242 ). I'd like your input  
on the topics that should be included, keeping in mind the fact that  
the target reader is a CIO, IT manager, or someone who wants to  
understand the basics, *not* actively get involved in email management.

You don't need to write an essay for me or inundate me with links  
(though hey, if you want to make my life easier I shall not  
complain). What I'm looking for, primarily, are the categories of  
information that I should cover. In other words, if your CIO had an  
email ephiphany and asked you to give a half-hour presentation, what  
would you include?

This won't be an "Expert says..." article nor will it be "Geek on the  
street says...." I intend to compile and research the "least you need  
to know" for the not-necessarily-techie bosses out there. And  
hopefully the end result will be that you have one less dumb question  
to deal with in your life.

So: any suggestions? (You can reply privately if you prefer.)

Esther Schindler
senior online editor, CIO.com
her blog: http://advice.cio.com/taxonomy/term/34