Infosec 08: Businesses clueless on instant messaging

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Although it has potential as a vital business tool, businesses do not have a clue about handling IM - even though the next generation of the workforce will expect it.

This, according to a report released at Infosec 2008, which has found that nearly three quarters of businesses are blocking the use of free instant messaging (IM) applications.

The Smoothwall-commissioned study said that the fear of data loss, time-wasting and other misuse outweighs the potential productivity benefits. Only 11 per cent of companies have a policy in place that allows instant messaging, even with use and content being monitored.

The results came from a survey of 1000 enterprise IT directors by research company Vanson Bourne. Retail and distribution companies were the most likely (88 per cent) to completely block access to IM. Financial companies the most likely to allow IM tools, but they monitor its use (16 per cent).

"It's a bit King Canutish of people for people to say that they can keep IM out of their organisation," said Smoothwall product manager Tom Newton. "10 years ago, people were saying: 'email - no, you won't find me doing business with that. I've got my typewriter thank you very much'."

"Instant messaging is suffering something of the same fate. We're a lot more open about it these days but a heck of a lot of people are blocking it out completely."

It meant that benefits such as presence monitoring, rapid file transfer and the ability to get answers very quickly would be disregarded - tools which could streamline the whole day.

Newton said that he thought businesses would see a rise in the number of people using tools like IM and social networking. "Kids coming through school these days aren't using email. It's being bypassed by them and its straight into Messenger and the social networking sites."

"People will use things like the wall in Facebook for what obstensively is a very private communication."

The report claimed that businesses and IT departments didn't understand the nature of IM and social networking simply because generally, IT administrators had not grown up with it.

"Your young lad starting work these days doesn't know a world without instant messaging, never mind without email. So you are looking at a set of IT admins perhaps not realising the power of these tools," added Newton.

He said that before businesses took IM seriously as a tool it would need to be controlled and logged before it was taken up.

For example, if a sales person gave a quote by instant messenger, it could only work on a business basis if it was logged and saved on an IT system, like email.

For more Infosec 2008 coverage, see IT PRO's roundup page here.

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