IM-Age Software’s IM Policy Manager

The Reviewmeister is still checking out products that help network execs manage those pesky instant messaging applications. Let’s start with IM-Age Software’s IM Policy Manager.

IM-Age lets system administrators create customized rule sets for different groups of users. IM-Age calls these configurations, because the rule sets also might include instructions on how the IM-Age client should behave.

The word-blocking function groups the words and phrases into categories (such as project codes, sales or foul language) to make it easier to apply to different groups. However, you can use the word-blocking function only when using the IM-Age client, and then only on outbound, encrypted traffic. IM-Age disclaimers and infraction messages are fully customizable on a group-by-group basis.

IM-Age did require an additional server to install Microsoft’s Internet Security and Acceleration server, so there was a little more work upfront. But to offset this, IM-Age includes product installation as part of the purchase price.

IM-Age seems well designed for companies in which a network manager can install a run-time executable application on every client system and in which the mandate is to manage all IM traffic, whether users are attached to a LAN or on a third-party network. The IM-Age client also can be deployed in stealth mode.

Another characteristic that differentiates IM-Age is the encryption of IM traffic. If this is required in your environment, look no further than IM-Age. A 448-bit Rolling Salt Blowfish encryption engine is integrated into the managed clients, offering a significant benefit when users are transmitting sensitive information via IM, whether over a LAN or the Internet.

This encryption also is extended to unmanaged clients through a free, downloadable reader. A URL for the reader is sent to the user across the network as part of the active IM session. The unmanaged user clicks the link to accept the decryption engine download and the key to the local system for the duration of the session. The reader overlays the decrypted text on the IM client, denoting it with a padlock icon to remind the user that the message is encrypted. During testing, we noticed no perceivable slowdowns when encryption was enabled.

Although IM-Age doesn’t synchronize directories, it does deal with directory information. It will report a user’s credentials, but they are authenticated to a local machine, regardless of the enterprise directory being used. This means system administrators cannot import user accounts ahead of time, but once a user connects to the system, the information is correct.

IM-Age offers a Web interface and a Windows application. While the Web-based version allows use from anywhere, the Windows application is easier to use. It provides search capabilities to reviewers and end users, limiting only the scope of what is seen based on authentication. Again, these queries cannot be saved or scheduled.

But the combination of access methods provides good accessibility. One extra and unique feature in IM-Age is the ability to generate an ad hoc query as a raw SQL statement.

For the full report, go to https://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2004/0628imrev.html