Instant Messaging has been increasing in popularity as an additional method of corporate communication. For some, it’s the lure of immediate communication and the ability to see when a contact is online. For others, the headache of sorting through an onslaught of spam in their e-mail has pushed them to seek alternatives.

Most people are not aware of the hazards of communication via popular IM services such as Yahoo, AIM, ICQ and MSN.  Designed for public users, these clients do not utilize any form of encryption yet the messages pass through at least one pubic message server on the Internet en route to the final recipient. This means that the information can be intercepted as clear text and read anywhere in its travels. Depending on the type of information being transmitted, this could result in a leak of confidential corporate information.

A second concern is that the popularity of Instant Messaging has opened yet another window of opportunity for viruses, Trojan horses, and worms to enter a corporate network. Although the number of viruses designed to travel through IM clients pale in comparison to that of e-mail, the numbers are growing.

For some companies, the most effective solution is to ban IM from the workplace altogether, but they are increasingly difficult to block. With the level of competition between consumer IM providers, there has been pressure on the developers of the software to trick corporate firewalls into allowing IM traffic. As usual, a combination of network security and corporate policies needs to be utilized to prevent the use of Instant Messaging.

For others, the use of Instant Messaging is an acceptable – even necessary - part of corporate culture. A recommended approach here would be to implement an internal Instant Message server, providing a company with control over their IM traffic. Messages can be encrypted, internal communications will stay within the network, usage monitoring and logging can be performed, and attachments can be filtered according to file type. This can also be extended to communications with corporate partners and clients.

As with any tool available in the technology arena, when considering the corporate use of Instant Messaging, it is important to consider the security implications. While it’s much easier and quicker to download and use a public IM service, the time invested in planning and implementing your own private IM architecture results in a more secure means of communication.