Instant Messaging (IM) is a for of online instant communication between two or more parties that has been widely used in a social environment since the early 1990’s. This form of direct communication between individuals has evolved into a low cost way of electronic communication in the business environment. The implementation of business IM has been widely accepted with over the last five years usage has tripled to 63 million users. It is anticipated that in a few short years Instant Messaging will surpass email as the largest in-office electronic communication tool.
However, business Instant Messaging (IM) does come with it’s risks, including:
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Information leaks
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Worms, viruses and other threats
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Network hacks and intrusion
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Compliance, regulatory and legal violations
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Productivity losses
All of these risks can be managed and mitigated with a series of Best Practices for Business IM:
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Discovery
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Creating written policies
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Implementing security technology
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Implementing monitoring and management systems
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Periodic review and modification
This whitepaper, produced by Quest Software, discusses the background, management and software for enabling productive, secure and compliant Instant Messaging (IM) policies and usage in the business environment.
