* Best practices for instant messaging
As mentioned last time, IM is an extremely useful communications tool that many users have come to rely on for daily work. Instead of just cutting off IM use to protect the network from threats, there are several things that an organization can do, from deploying relatively inexpensive solutions to more expensive ones:
* There are tools on the market, such as IMlogic’s IM Manager or Akonix’ L7 Enterprise, that can detect IM use by user and prevent certain network-unfriendly IM functions from occurring, such as file transfers. Eliminating this function can preserve the utility of IM for most users while at the same time eliminate one key avenue for malware to enter a network.
* There are tools, such as IMbrella Software’s IMbrella Blocker Plus, that can allow only the use of certain consumer IM clients and permit such clients to operate on a network only during work hours, for example. While this does not entirely eliminate the threats that can enter a network, it gives IT more control over which clients are used and when they are used on the corporate network.
* A system, such as FaceTime’s IMAuditor, can be deployed that will provide enterprise-grade functions on top of a consumer IM infrastructure, such as content scanning and mapping screen names to corporate identities. These systems will also provide auditing and logging capabilities and typically allow IM conversations to be archived along with e-mail for compliance or knowledge management purposes.
* The most expensive alternative, but one that many organizations are pursuing, is simply to rip out consumer IM and replace it with an enterprise-grade system, such as Lotus Instant Messaging, Microsoft Live Communication Server or Novell GroupWise Messenger, among many others. For example, in our July 2001 tracking survey, only one-third of enterprises had deployed an enterprise IM system but this figure jumped to 64% in our most recent survey in March of this year. While this alternative is the most expensive, it also gives an organization more control over its IM infrastructure, since there are fewer vendors involved and because these systems typically integrate with other systems on vendors’ roadmaps, although most of these advantages also are provided by vendors of systems that provide enterprise level functions for consumer IM systems.
In short, best practices for IM use in the workplace focus on a) understanding how much consumer IM there is, b) evaluating IM’s business impact for your organization and c) deploying technology that will limit the impact of threats to your network.
