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Instant Messaging
Instant messaging presents an interesting problem. Younger workers grew up on it, but many CIOs have rarely, if ever, used it. They don't see the need for IM, but they do see how it opens up corporate networks to viruses and other security risks. Boyer, for one, says Home Interiors not only forbids IM but has blocked network access to Microsoft, Yahoo and other Web-based IM clients.
"It's too big a security issue. It's more of a company risk in terms of assets than email," he says. After all, people can send attachments over IM too. Only with IM, there's no record of what was sent. "I can go back and monitor email; there's nothing they can do about that. I control that," Boyer says. "But on IM, I have no way to monitor that."
Why would a company want to monitor IM? Because every IM that contains data about a business transaction is an electronic record that the company must be able to produce on demand in case of a lawsuit. Companies that can't find relevant electronic records on demand have been made to pay hundreds of millions of dollars.
Flynn thinks it's unwise to flat-out forbid IM, especially in companies where younger workers insist on using it. "It's the No. 1 communication tool of choice among teenagers. If you're hiring people right out of college, they expect to communicate through IM. If the company doesn't provide it, they'll bring it through the back door," she maintains.
Boyer disagrees. Speaking of his IT staff, he says, "My guys are those kind of guys" -- meaning young people who grew up on IM. "They want it locked down. Their primary goal is the availability and security of our environment. They view it as a security risk."
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