IM, friend or foe?

Anyone reading this article has probably heard of IM, or instant messaging. In short, IM is communication over a network by using a program (client).

Programs such as ICQ, MSN Messenger, and AOL Instant Messenger all facilitate in IM communications across the Internet.

This technology has evolved over the past several years to include more collaborative tools such as desktop sharing, file transfer, and video.

With the introduction of such tools, various security concerns have been raised. How do you monitor file transfers in and out of your network? Is there a risk for virus intrusion?

From the business standpoint, will productivity slip if staff members are using IM all day?

These are valid concerns for any business, large or small. But there is good news for those businesses that value IM communications for increased team collaboration.

Several services offer IM filtering and file transfer blocking. How does this help?

First off, businesses can enforce rules for IM sessions. One option included is whether or not files can be transferred. By implementing such a rule, companies can mitigate the risk of unauthorized file transfer.

Companies like Websense and SurfControl offer these web filtering tools along with other Internet filtering and reporting capabilities.

In many industries, IM hasn’t been seen as an immediate threat to security or productivity. But as the client software evolves and end-users become more accustomed to communications over the Internet, small and large business owners alike will have to address the IM technology.

For the small business, establish a clearly defined policy on IM. If you find that using a client such as MSN Messenger is vital to your constant communications with staff members, customers, or vendors, then make sure everyone involved understands the proper use of the systems.

For easier evaluation of corporate policy, IM can be thought of as a similar technology as email. Although electronic mail is not as real-time as IM, it is a similar idea (communications across a network). You may find it useful to adopt the same policies that govern employee usage of email for IM communications.

Talk with your local technology vendor about the right solution for your network. You may find that IM is your friend, not your foe.