Secure Instant Messaging in Business

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Secure Instant Messaging in Business - Understanding the Presence Revolution

An independent authoritative guide to implementing secure instant messaging.

Instant messaging (IM) is becoming increasingly important in business. From trading rooms to customer support, IM provides a quick, cheap and effective way for people to interact. But traditional IM systems from MSN, Yahoo! and AOL are sent in clear text and provide no lasting record of the IM conversation.

The Sarbanes-Oxley rules in the US, the EU's 8th Directive, and the regulations of national regulators such as the FSA in the United Kingdom mean that regulated companies should not allow communications which cannot be recorded and retrieved. Huge efforts are being made to monitor and store email and voice communications in order to comply with these rules, but IM opens yet another channel of communication.

There are several secure technologies available which potentially address these issues, while giving companies the immediacy and convenience of IM. But, as with any new form of communications, the technology itself is only half the story. Without understanding stakeholder needs, relevant regulations, and implications for other areas of IT, implementations of secure IM are fraught with danger.

'Secure Instant Messaging in Business' is a hands-on, clearly structured business guide by a leading authority in the field. In plainly written language, the handbook explains how IM and secure IM systems work, the key business drivers for their take-up, and explores the main vendors and their solutions. You can also find out about best practice in implementing Secure IM, including how to establish working teams, set goals and embrace the needs of key stakeholders. Leading IT specialist law firm Olswang will guide you through the high level legal parts of the jigsaw in a specially written section of the handbook. And a thorough section on compliance explains the implications of Sarbanes-Oxley, the EU and FSA regulations on corporate IM.

'Secure Instant Messaging in Business' is the most comprehensive independent guide to Secure IM implementation available.