Companies should use the fear if receiving Anthrax by post as a fillip to adopt new IT-based business processes.

Louis Halpem, CEO of edesigns.co.uk believes the threat of anthrax gives businesses a "new opportunity to rethink the value of the Internet".

In a press release circulated today Mr Halpem said: "Businesses should go beyond assessing whether they still need to send anything by post or not.

"They should embrace anthrax as an opportunity to go back to the basics, and identify - from the ground up - all the parts of their business that can be made more productive using online solutions.

"They should jump on anthrax as a chance to transfer everything online; from internal and external communications, to marketing, to sales transactions, to distribution and so on.

He went on: "We can use anthrax as the catalyst we have been waiting for to increase our productivity."

Speaking to The Register Mr Halpem denied that the press release was a tasteless, perhaps cynical attempt to exploit a testing and uncertain time.

E-designs is an email marketing consultancy which carries out email marketing campaigns on behalf of clients. ®