Instant Messaging In Business
You've got messages. With millions of current users, instant messaging has become one of the
most popular forms of personal digital communication. It was only a matter of time until the
convenient and often annoying communications platform began creeping into the business world.
While it is not yet a standard tool in business, the promise of IM technology has everyone
excited.
The advantages of instant messaging in business are clear. It offers a real-time system
for co-workers to discuss business and exchange information. It is especially convenient in the workplace,
since users can tell whether or not a recipient is available before sending a message. Another
important feature of instant messaging in business is its unobtrusive nature; the identity of
the sender is known immediately, and unknown senders can be automatically blocked or ignored.
For companies whose employees are not always in the same location, IM can be especially
useful. Sales representatives, support teams, district managers, and other professionals
especially stand to benefit from the business connectivity that IM has to offer. In addition, other features
of IM such as file sharing and group chat rooms offer powerful new ways to collaborate
and share resources. The overhead for such software is low; IM applications typically
require small amounts of hard disk space and system resources. More importantly, the cost
of business instant messaging is extremely low, with most providers offering volume
discounts.
Most experts agree that a few issues need to be addressed before many businesses will be
comfortable with instant messaging in the workplace. First and foremost among these is
security. If professionals will be transmitting confidential business information, ideas,
and documents, then keeping that information secure must be a priority. The providers of
IM software must use encryption and similar technologies to prevent the possibility of
privacy violations. Another concern for business IM is identification; most professionals
consider the anonymity of traditional screen names (such as "John38291") to be unacceptable.
In addition, compatibility is still an outstanding issue for personal and business IM software. Because
no interoperability agreements are in place between the largest IM providers (AOL, Yahoo,
and Microsoft MSN), companies cannot expect that users on different software will be able to
communicate. Finally, the logistics and tracking of instant messages will be key issues for
certain industries. Financial organizations, for example, must log all business-related
discussions to be in compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The big players in instant messaging software are racing to deliver business solutions.
Microsoft has already released a beta version of its MSN Messenger Connect, which the
company promises will offer enterprise-grade control and manageability. AOL hopes that its
dominance of the personal instant messaging market will boost sales of the Enterprise AIM
Gateway, which began shipping late last year. Not to be outdone, Yahoo! already claims to
be "storming the business world" with Yahoo! Messenger Enterprise Edition, which also
launched in 2002.
Despite some concerns, the future of instant messaging in the business world is undeniably
bright. The speed and efforts with which software companies are churning out enterprise IM
solutions indicates how strong the market potential is. More importantly, the fact that large
companies such as pharmaceuticals and financial organizations are asking hard questions about
IM integration reveals that they, too, are ready to take advantage of IM technology. The
possibilities for integration with wireless devices, handhelds, and other cutting-edge
hardware are also promising. According to Gartner, Inc., "free IM services will be found in
70 percent of enterprises by 2003." The outlook for instant messaging in business is strong
indeed.
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