Most of us have seen or heard about the employee escorted off the premises for inappropriate behavior over IM or email. The email we can understand as it leaves a trail, and unless completely deleted will still be present on the mail servers. But what about IM, and what is an Instant Messaging Archive? (UPDATED TO CHANGE LINK)
Hundreds of millions of us use IM each day. Some are work related, but most are not. Larger corporations even have their own clients for internal use. Most of use the big names like MSN, AIM, GTalk or Yahoo for our personal chats and consider ourselves pretty safe when using them.
Did you know however that every chat is or can be archived for future use? MSN and AIM both have in-built archive features on the clients. These are often a great way of recalling a conversation or piece of information for later use. 99% of the time they will be completely harmless and will offer no threat to anyone. These are optional though, and at the moment at least, are off by default with the exception of GTalk. The chats are saved on Google servers by default until deactivated by the user.
Many companies and government agencies will record everything said over IM chat as they would over email. Those organizations that are subject to SOX or other SEC regulations have to record IM by law. There has been a couple of investigation, then prosecutions that used IM data as evidence and there are bound to be many more.
Companies need to be aware of this method of communication and take steps to protect themselves from abuse, leaking of information accidental or otherwise and more serious threats like industrial espionage. There are many third party IM managers that can control access to clients, and record what everybody says. While this may seem a bit “big brother”, it is a necessary step in many companies. Filters can then be set up that picks up keywords, or external file transfers for later investigation.
Recent research found that over one third of employees use Instant Messaging at work. The vast majority of it will be completely harmless and won’t impact business at all, except a minor loss of productivity. It adds a great way for employees to communicate instantly over distances which would otherwise take time. It can make for quick decisions, instant information gathering and a whole host of other beneficial features.
As long as the business takes steps to protect itself from harm, the use of IM in the workplace should be encouraged. The benefits still outweigh the negatives in a fast moving environment where quick reactions are key. The IM platform is essential in adding another communication medium to staff to do their jobs quickly and effectively.
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