The Unofficial Guide to. Instant Messaging. for Executives. Solutions for Enterprise IM management security compliance integration

Transcription

1 The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives Solutions for Enterprise IM management security compliance integration

2 Find out more about putting IM to use as a secure, productive real-time communications tool in your organization with these powerful resources from Akonix» Request a free trial of our award winning Akonix L7 Enterprise or Akonix Enforcer software» Download a free copy of Akonix Rogueware, a free monitoring tool that detects and reports on IM traffic within corporate networks» Download informative white papers and other product literature w w w. a k o n i x. c o m / i m g Solutions for Enterprise IM management security compliance integration

3 The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives Whether you know it or not, your employees are probably using Instant Messaging (IM) during office hours to communicate with co-workers, customers and business partners as well as the occasional chat with family and friends. The statistics speak for themselves:» Over 90% of enterprises have users accessing IM [Osterman Research]» More than 74% of all IM was brought into companies via employees [Nemertes Research]» IM will be used more than by 2006 [Giga]» Managing and securing IM use will escalate to a top 3 priority for most IT managers in 2004 [The Yankee Group] Clearly, IM is here to stay. And if your organization is like most others, your employees are using it. So, what is IM? How did it get so popular? Should you be concerned? What should you do? How can you make IM work for you? How can it help you improve productivity? Reduce costs? Achieve a competitive advantage? These questions and many others will be answered in this guide. p a g e 1

4 What is Instant Messaging? p a g e 2 IM is a real-time messaging application that allows users to see when their regular contacts are on-line (their presence ) and to chat with them through a common application. Instant Messaging lets users create a list of buddies with whom the user may want to communicate, e.g. the account manager s customers. By viewing the buddy list, the user can see who is on-line at any one moment and instantly establish a chat session with the buddy, e.g. Hey Bob. I m on the phone with manufacturing. Did you get the re-supply shipment this morning as scheduled? With IM, users can get instantaneous answers to questions and rely on IM when a phone call is too intrusive or when can t guarantee a quick response. While not replacing the phone or , IM addresses a critical need for real-time information to keep business moving. In other words IM eliminates business standstill created by unanswered and unreturned voice mails. While most users mainly use IM to chat, the application has many other features, such as file transfer, white boarding and audio & video conferencing.

5 p a g e 3 IM There are two primary types of Instant Messaging in use within corporations: 1 Public IM Networks Public IM Networks are free, proprietary services offered by major Internet service providers, such as AOL, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo! 2 Enterprise IM Systems Enterprise IM is an internal software solution (not unlike today s servers) that is owned and controlled by the enterprise. Examples include IBM/Lotus Sametime, Microsoft s Live Communications Server and Jabber. Both are expected to play key roles in the future of real-time communications within the enterprise. The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

6 How did IM get so popular? Today, public IM networks comprise the majority of IM users, though corporations are quickly beginning to adopt enterprise IM solutions. So, how did public IM get so popular? While difficult to say definitively, the explosive growth of IM seems to be attributed to three main factors: p a g e 4» Public IM is free, easy to use and available» Public IM is accessible from anywhere and virtually unstoppable with today s firewalls and other perimeter security products» IM is contagious People using IM encourage their friends and colleagues to join their IM network further expanding IM use Gaining access to these services is simple: AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger are easily downloaded and quickly installed. While some people use just one, many access all three, with separate buddy lists for each. For example, an account manager most likely has customers on each of the three networks so she would need to have an account for AOL, MSN and Yahoo! Once set up, access is free. More importantly, however, is that the public IM service is available to anyone and available anywhere. Communicating with outside consultants, for example, can be accomplished with IM, eliminating the need for setting up an account, extending VPN access or costly long distance charges. Within minutes of setup, employees can be communicating with remote colleagues, partners, vendors and customers. In addition, IM was designed to reach people wherever they are and it is designed to evade firewalls and other perimeter security devices. For example, while a firewall can block specific IM ports, it has problems when the IM traffic tunnels out over other open ports, such as port 80 which is open for web traffic. This issue manifests itself in the gap that exists between the percent of IT departments that claim to block it and the percent of users that claim to use IM from work. That is to say, while many companies think they have IM under control, 90% of companies according to Osterman Research have users accessing some form of IM.

7 p a g e 5 Never tried IM? If you ve never used Instant Messaging, it s very easy to try. Simply sign up and download the software from AOL, MSN or Yahoo! Once installed, ask a colleague to do the same and you can begin communicating immediately. While you will most likely start with personal questions such as Do you want to go grab some lunch?, you will quickly transition to time-sensitive, businesscritical questions, like Have we dropped the press release on the acquisition? I have an investor on the line. The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

8 Why should you be concerned about IM use? If your company is like most others, there is grassroots-level, unsanctioned use of IM on your network. And, if your company is like most others and has not done anything about IM, you should answer two questions: p a g e 6 1. What risks are you unknowingly exposing your organization to with any existing, unofficial and unmanaged IM use? 2. What productivity and cost benefits of IM are you not realizing by not safely and effectively embracing IM for communications more broadly? Unmanaged or unknown use of IM can pose many risks to organizations. These risks include:» Violations of corporate, industry or governmental regulations for records retention or privacy Regulations mandated by Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, FERC, Graham-Leech-Bliley, SEC, NASD, etc. must be managed and enforced» Network security vulnerability from viruses, worms, & other attacks through IM Symantec recently reported a quadrupling of viruses and worms entering the network through unsecured IM» Leakage of intellectual property & confidential information ASIS Int l reports average loss per theft of R&D is valued at $404,000» Legal & corporate exposure from inappropriate use of IM Phillips Nizer reports average sexual harassment settlement is $250,000» Potential productivity loss as employees chat with family & friends without clear, enforceable corporate policies on use Gartner reports that 42% of employees with Internet access use IM

9 p a g e 7 When senior management is made aware of these risks, the knee jerk reaction is to block all IM. While this reaction may neutralize some of the risks, it also eliminates the opportunity to realize the productivity and cost benefits possible with managed IM, such as:» Improved worker productivity through faster problem solving & decision making s, voice mails, and memos replaced with instantaneous replies» Reduced telecommunication & other messaging costs 30% reduction in monthly phone bill from use of IM* 40% reduction in traffic* 15% reduction in voic minutes* [Gartner Group] Clearly, organizations should be aware so risks can be mitigated and business benefits can be realized. The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

10 What can you do? The good news is that you ve been through this before. That is, the concern over use of IM today is very similar to the concerns over p a g e 8 employee web access ten years ago. In the early days of the web, management worried about the possibility of employees mindlessly surfing for hours and downloading or sharing inappropriate material. They tried to contain the situation by blocking all access, but quickly realized the potential productivity benefits of managed access to the web and ensured appropriate use through policies, filters and web monitoring tools. Once under control, management encouraged the broad use of the web for quick and easy access to information and created intranets and extranets to communicate with employees, partners and customers. Eventually, the web evolved into a key productivity tool as other web applications were rolled out. Today s IM is no different. Management should simply apply best practices of web access to IM access.

11 p a g e 9 That is, you first need to CONTROL Instant Messaging by stopping any unauthorized IM access and establishing and enforcing rules on current usage. For those employees accessing IM, you should define which services they can access, who they can IM with, what they can and cannot discuss and when they are allowed to use IM. Getting control also allows you to monitor, log and archive IM to comply with any and all corporate, industry and government standards. Once under control, you re in a position to EMBRACE IM and realize its productivity benefits by encouraging IM use to improve real-time communications among employees, partners, vendors and customers. Like the web, the next step will be to INTEGRATE IM into the infrastructure of your organization allowing IM to interact not only with individual users, but also with enterprise applications, data sources and IM-based applications, such as customer service bots. The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

12 p a g e 1 0» control» embrace» integrate Throughout this process, IM will evolve much like the web s transition from corporate liability to business necessity from a productivity and security risk to a critical component of your real-time enterprise.

13 p a g e 1 1 Managing access to IM today is very similar to strategies for managing web access ten years ago.» control that was then WEB ACCESS Apply corporate standards to ad hoc use. Enable monitoring of Internet use. Create corporate policy and enforcement practices, limiting sites employees can visit. Ensure legal & regulatory compliance and network security. this is now IM ACCESS Apply corporate standards to ad hoc use. Enable monitoring of IM conversations. Create usage policy and implement enforcement tools, to make sure IM use is appropriate and effective for business. Ensure legal & regulatory compliance and network security.» embrace Adopt broad use of web throughout the organization for both internal (intranets) and external (extranets) communications for better communications, improved productivity and reduced costs. Roll out corporate use to encourage use of IM throughout organization for real-time communication with employees, partners, vendors and customers for more real-time access to information, improved customer service and reduced costs.» integrate Leverage the web across business processes and applications, such as web order-entry tools to leverage the power of the web beyond browsing of static content. Develop IM-aware applications and listening services that integrate IM into the fabric of the enterprise. Help the corporation leverage the power of IM beyond person to person chat. The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

14 p a g e 1 2» control IM Controlling IM is not just about blocking IM. How many organizations can you name that prevent all outbound access to the Internet? Controlling IM is about stopping the unsanctioned use of IM and defining policies for those that must have it without compromising your network security. Manage employee IM use Define policies on who can access IM and who they can chat with, such as setting up a Chinese Wall to keep analysts from talking with investment bankers Meet internal & regulatory compliance standards Monitor, log and archive all messaging to comply with HR and industry regulations Stop viruses & other network attacks Prevent IM-born viruses from crippling your network and productivity Eliminate anonymity Map network name to screen names to eliminate risk of untraceable inappropriate behavior Stop inappropriate conversations Use key word and phrase filters to block people from discussing certain topics, such as a top secret R&D project

15 p a g e 1 3» embrace IM Embracing the use of IM is the next step to realizing its full potential. With the web, management quickly realized the cost savings and improvements in productivity and customer satisfaction. IM is no different. Once understood, the benefits of extended IM use are difficult to ignore and can be a key competitive differentiator in today s real-time business environment. Leverage worker productivity benefits across the enterprise Roll out IM more broadly in the enterprise as a business communications tool with effective security and management in place to enforce corporate policies Increase communication with partners, suppliers and customers Leverage ubiquity of public IM services for external IM communications with partners, suppliers and customers, improving service, satisfaction and bottom line results Provide IT with central system for managing multi-network environments Enable IT to tie together both public IM services and enterprise IM for a consistent IM approach throughout the organization while meeting internal and external communications needs Maximize the financial benefits of IM as a communications tools Balance risks and benefits to encourage productive, active use of IM for business, providing improved response times, lower telecommunications charges, reduced and voice mail volumes and many other benefits The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

16 » integrate IM p a g e 1 4 The future of IM in the enterprise will be to integrate it into the communications and application infrastructure. While only some companies are at this stage today, if the web is an example, it will not be long before all companies transition to this phase of IM enterprise adoption. Leverage existing infrastructure Manage multi-network IM identities through directory integration, offload IM logs to existing archiving systems and ensure IM solutions are integrated into overall security systems Improve worker productivity Develop IM-aware applications, such as bots or listening services, that add value to IM conversations, such as a product information bot Reduce operating costs Use IM to interface with customers, partners and employees to replace costly help desks, such as an IM bot to reset network passwords Increase ROI of enterprise applications Provide IM front-end to ERP, CRM, and other enterprise assets to allow anywhere access to business-critical data

17 p a g e 1 5 How do you get started? Fortunately, getting started is easy with today s IM management solutions, such as award-winning Akonix L7 Enterprise. IM management solutions are proxy gateways that sit at the network perimeter to apply policies to IM that define which users can access which services, who these users can talk to, what they can say and what they can do. IM management solutions not only focus on enforcing access policies, but also protect the network from external viruses, worms and other attacks spread through IM. The solutions block all unauthorized IM traffic - even users who purposefully or inadvertently try to go around the gateway - and ensure all inbound and outbound IM traffic is authorized. Of course, IM management solutions have full logging and filtering capabilities to not only log and archive conversations as your company or industry requires, but also proactively stop IM policy violations as they happen. This ensures that usage is kept within the acceptable bounds of corporate policy, not just logged for after-the-fact discovery. Finally, IM solutions provide the platform to implement your comprehensive corporate IM strategy, from controlling public IM services, integrating with enterprise IM services like Microsoft Live Communications Server 2003 and IBM/Lotus Sametime and eventually building IM-aware applications that interact with existing enterprise assets, such as directory services and enterprise applications. The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

18 p a g e 1 6 About Akonix Akonix is the leading provider of enterprise-class business solutions for leveraging the power of multi-network enterprise instant messaging. Akonix s award-winning products leverage patent-pending core technology and certified strategic partnerships to deliver multi-network management, security, integration and compliance capabilities across all major IM systems, including America Online s AIM and ICQ, Microsoft s MSN, Yahoo!, Microsoft s Live Communications Server (LCS), Reuters Messaging, IBM/Lotus Sametime and Jabber.

19 p a g e 1 Find out more about putting IM to use as a secure, productive real-time communications tool in your organization with these powerful resources from Akonix located at TAKE A TEST DRIVE Want to see how Akonix can really bring the power of IM to productive use in your Enterprise? Request a free trial of our award winning Akonix L7 Enterprise or Akonix Enforcer software. NOT SURE ABOUT IM USE ON YOUR NETWORK? Download a free copy of Akonix Rogueware. This is a free monitoring tool that detects and reports on IM traffic within corporate networks. LEARN MORE ABOUT IM IN THE ENTERPRISE Download informative white papers and other product literature. Go to The Unofficial Guide to Instant Messaging for Executives

20 Solutions for Enterprise IM Akonix Systems, Inc. 600 b street 18th floor san diego california info@akonix.com Akonix Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved. Akonix and Akonix L7 Enterprise are registered trademarks of Akonix Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. IMG