Think of it this way – lots of people, many who are only marginally tech-savvy, can re-install their Windows operating system, even though an OS is one of the most complex pieces of software in existence. Auto-updates are a godsend for most people (both users and administrators!), as they require virtually no knowledge to maintain a system. On the other hand, installing and maintaining a mail server is a bit more difficult, as the amount of automation is less. But one doesn’t need to know too many details to do it – you just go with the defaults.
Now consider that anyone who uses software to create webpages can add a link that sends email to the donotreply.com domain. This is one example of why many IT departments “rule with an iron fist” – ya just never know what a user will do. One might hope that a person hired specifically as an IT worker would know all the ins and outs of all the tasks they are asked to do, but it’s just not so.
Assume, however, that these people aren’t complete morons; in fact, they might actually be rather clever. Thus, the bright idea: Hey! I’ll use the email address “anonymous@donotreply.com” to indicate that no one should reply! Except that people do reply – it’s the failure to consider the “what would happen if…” questions that royally screws things up.
One of my favorite sayings: a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.