Personal Instant Messages A Bigger Problem Than Personal Email Or Phone Use
Instant Messaging (IM) is used more for personal messages in the workplace than business and companies are more concerned about personal instant messaging than they are about personal emails or telephone calls according to a new survey.
The survey, by the Meta group, found that 57% of employees surveyed at 300 companies worldwide use IM for personal chat more than work.
But companies are taking action: Even more concerned with personal IM use than other communications, 16% of companies have banned Instant Messaging in the office, compared with only 3% banning personal phone and 5% banning personal email use.
Providing the controls required to back up company IM policies, is UK based Netdata Plus. The company’s 8e6 R3000 Enterprise Filtering appliance contains technology which sniffs out and blocks un-authorised IM use.
“The technology we offer allows companies to monitor and keep control of IM use by recognising the protocol operating on the company network – giving the company the option to either block it completely or allow limited use” Said Rob Hale of Netdata Plus.
Netdata’s client base use of the 8e6 R3000 appliance to control both inappropriate web surfing, Peer-to-Peer File sharing and Instant Messaging has skyrocketed “We’ve seen a surge of companies seeking to understand the level of the problem on their network and a way to control it”. “Users of the technology include multi-nationals such as Alcoa, DuPont, Kraft Foods and Philip Morris”.
Uncontrolled IM use is a huge threat to business, Meta analyst Ted Tzirimis said “We believe that by 2008, most new employees will be assigned an IM account. Perhaps even more concerning is the high percentage of people using IM for file transfers, which represents a huge vulnerability,”
The recommendation from analysts such as Tzirimis is that with technology such as Netdata’s 8e6 R3000 available, companies should take the necessary precautions to protect themselves against the IM threat.
“We don’t recommend that companies try to ban IM use, but they do need to take precautions to better protect themselves from IM-based threats.”
Sources:
Matt Hines, CNET News.com
Rob Hale, Netdata Plus
Netdata Plus are a privately held company based in Basingstoke, in the UK. Experts in secure and high performance Internet Filtering & reporting appliance based solutions, Netdata Plus provides FTSE 100 enterprise companies, Local, Central & European Government departments and agencies with the expertise and technology to monitor and control internet use, reducing the risks and protecting their productivity and profitability.
For more information, please visit our website: www.netdataplus.com or call 01256 333 303