White Papers

Benefits of Enterprise Instant Messaging

• Tags:
• messaging,
• tool,
• face,
• instant messaging

Overview Instant messaging (IM) allows users to communicate in a manner similar to face-to-face interaction, in that it allows a real-time conversation to take place without the inherent delay of e-mail. Conversations over IM also allow each participant to fully express his or her thoughts in a manner that may not have been possible during a spoken conversation. This real-time, interactive nature of Instant Messaging makes it a valuable to tool for collaborative efforts with business partners, customers and fellow employees.

However, due to the consumer-oriented beginnings of the technology, IM has developed without the typical enterprise emphasis on manageability, reliability and security. Conversely, early adoption by consumers has meant that the technology is easily deployed, installed, and utilized, benefits equally valuable for the business user. A major result of this ease of deployment is that IM has spread within the enterprise largely outside the control of corporate IT organizations. This paper discusses the opportunities created by the use of IM, as well as some risks that must be managed in order for it to become a widely accepted business communication tool.

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