| | | | | of unauthorized use, hacker or virus threats. |
| Instant messaging is the fastest developing | | | | However, a solution has also been found to this |
| communication tool, and businesses solve issues to | | | | problem – specialized corporate instant |
| make it work in the corporate environment | | | | messengers have been created to better meet the |
| When it comes to discussing free public Internet | | | | security needs of small businesses and large |
| applications, there is no doubt that instant messaging | | | | corporations alike. |
| (IM) has been one of the biggest phenomena that | | | | One of the best developed corporate IM is the |
| have gained widespread popularity and are greatly | | | | special solution offered by the company Brosix. |
| enjoyed by users. In 2005, 80% of Internet users | | | | Brosix was founded in 2006 to develop simple, |
| made use of IM, and the figures keep rising. | | | | easy-to-use, secure communication tools for home |
| According to a recent survey of IM trends in the | | | | and enterprises. The aim of the company is to |
| USA, conducted by AOL, 30% of people prefer | | | | provide to organizations innovative secure instant |
| instant messaging to phone calls, and 40% make | | | | messaging and other Internet technologies without |
| bigger use of it than they do of e-mails. | | | | making substantial investments in hardware, software |
| The popularity of IM solutions is not limited to USA | | | | and infrastructure. |
| alone. While the technology is very popular in | | | | So, how does the Brosix instant messenger solve |
| Northern America and Europe, recent reports suggest | | | | firms’ security issues? It allows clients to create |
| that IM usage has also been rapidly growing in | | | | their own business instant messaging networks and |
| developing economies like China. The number of | | | | organize a complete user selection, which can be |
| registered IM users in the country reached 900 million | | | | managed through an online control panel. |
| in the beginning of 2007. | | | | Customers get their own private network hosted on |
| Business has not remained unaffected by the new | | | | the Brosix servers, and can easily manage it via a |
| trend. Almost half of all big international companies | | | | web-based Administration Console and have full |
| are using some form of instant messaging for their | | | | control on users, contact lists, block users, etc. By |
| daily communication, and it has to be admitted that | | | | having a private network, customers can be sure |
| IM is now a serious corporate IT issue. The reason is | | | | that only authorized users within that network |
| clear – instant messaging is faster than e-mail; | | | | request their messages, file transfers and chat |
| you can check whether the other person is online | | | | sessions. Last, but not least, Brosix encrypts all the |
| and thus avoids a time-wasting e-mail or phone lag. | | | | traffic with a 256-bit key. Instant messages, file |
| IM can also reduce meeting costs within a company | | | | transfers, voice/video/text chats, etc. are encrypted |
| by connecting geographically separate employees by | | | | and only the recipient users can decrypt and use/see |
| low-cost instant interaction. Employees can use it to | | | | them. |
| exchange information or work together, without the | | | | It is therefore clear that business can find and does |
| need of organizing or holding meetings. | | | | actually find ways to make place for IM in the highly |
| The only problem that occurs in the use of IM at the | | | | sensitive business environment. IM has gone |
| workplace is security. When using a free public IM | | | | corporate, and aims to stay so. |
| such as ICQ or MSN, companies cannot be protected | | | | |