Popular systems such as America Online’s Instant Messenger, Microsoft’s MSN Messenger, ICQ, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) have changed the way we communicate with friends, acquaintances, and business colleagues.
Most IM systems presently in use were designed with scalability rather than security in mind.
Virtually all freeware IM programs lack encryption capabilities and most have features that bypass traditional corporate firewalls, making it difficult for administrators to control instant messaging usage inside an organization.
A new report from Rocsearch, "Securing Instant Messaging in a Corporate Environment" analyses the security risks of using instant messaging systems and provides guidelines to help enterprises make informed decisions about how to properly implement such systems within a corporate environment.