Without adequate management instant messaging can have instant risks
Seventy per cent of companies use unmanaged consumer instant messaging (IM) on their networks to conduct business according to Gartner Research – a trend that is putting them at risk. “As both legitimate and unauthorised usage rises, the threat of malicious code that uses instant messaging clients for propagation is becoming more significant,” concludes Synamtec’s Internet Security Threat Report (Feb 2003).
Companies are beginning to ban IM from their employees’ machines. The main providers are fighting back by providing new corporate messaging systems, but the battle may already have been lost.
Yahoo has launched a campaign entitled ‘Save Smiley’. The idea is that users who find that their employers have blocked or banned Yahoo! Instant Messanger let Yahoo know and the portal will approach the company in an attempt to sell its enterprise IM Service.
It’s a bold idea and one which depends on management’s opinion of IM – for many, it’s something of mixed blessing.
Internet Works August 2003