Webcasting the second Follow-up Paper

Posted by Nancy

March 19, 2007

When I started searching for webcasting sources for this report, I found out that this term has been defined vaguely and used differently in many sources. According to the International Webcasting Association, IWA, they suggests the following definition: the distribution of digitally encoded multimedia (particularly audio and video) content over Internet protocol networks. Therefore any media files that were transferred though the Internet can be counted as webcasting. This makes it hard to pinpoint exactly what are the key effects on this technology since no matter one may think advantages of this technology are, there will be arguments on how these advantages yet hold for all application or vice versa.

Therefore instead of discussing only on for versus against ideas for this technology, this report will offer comments on some of webcasting characteristics that may be beneficial for users who consider adopting this technology for his/her corporation.

First of all, let me elucidate more details on the process of webcasting in order to deliver media files to end users. A webcast uses streaming media technology to take a single content source and distribute it to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. These media contents are captured on an audio input device or video capture device. It is then converted to a streaming format from an encoding station. The stream is then delivered either by a continuous stream or in a pull configuration, which retrieves the stream when a player connects to it. The term webcasting is usually reserved for referring to non-interactive linear streams or live events.

There are still debates whether we should limit the webcasting term only on transferring live events. In my pinion, it should include both “24 hour” streaming (live webcasting) and “on-demand” streaming (pre-recorded) services. While 24 hour streaming is like TV broadcasting, on-demand streaming is similar to a VCR. 24 hour streaming is the same as live broadcast, except the signal goes out over the Internet instead of the air. When a user clicks on the stream, it will take that user to a live broadcast program which can be seen as a traditional television set simultaneously. In the case of on-demand streaming, the on-demand files are always available to users, but they do not start streaming (playing) until the user clicks on them. It allows users who, in case, miss the broadcast program viewing it whenever they have free time or skip the advertisement that they are not interested into. In addition, when the user clicks, it can go to specified points in the streaming, similar to hitting the fast forward and rewind buttons on a VCR.

Flatten the World:
Webcasting has the potential to be a World Wide Television service. Because Webcasting uses the Internet as a delivery vehicle, there are virtually no geographical boundaries when compared to conventional broadcasting service. In addition, webcasting can make the most of the Web since it is a seamless convergence between the Web and broadcasting. For example, Webcasting can be used as an electronic shopping service combining the interactivity of the Web and live television broadcasting. This aspect of webcasting makes it suitable for a global business when distance, time, and reach are its priority. However, considering only on the delivery method, consuming high amount of bandwidth is by far the largest cost of webcasting. The picture quality in Webcasting has to sacrifice with real-time transmission which may makes conventional broadcasting more attractive. In this perspective, webcasting may not be preferable for Internet users and that leads us to the next discussion.

Cost Advantages:
Comparing with conventional business methods, it help an organization reducing the cost when they have to market products, train workers, educate customers, deliver company news and communicate news to the world at large. According to an article from CIO.com, typical webcasts can cost from $3,000 to $15,000 to produce, depending on the frame rate, program length, and specific tools used in order to make special effects. Different vendors, tools, applications, and technologies used for webcasting will affect the capitol cost of making one. For example, using lower technology tool may cause cheaper production cost but may increase more cost on bandwidth usages. However, more advanced media delivery techniques in order to gain better bandwidth management such as multicasting (provide the way to send packets from one host to a selective group host) and peercasting (multicasting stream via peer 2 peer connection by having a receiver peer automatically relay stream to a couple more peers), should help reducing this cost.

Real-Time Issues:
The webcast information dissemination technology is far more applicable and capable of delivering up-to-the-minute, dynamic information. Companies in the IT, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and financial services areas are proving to be the most enthusiastic adopters of webcasting. Fast communication is critical in these industries because they're needed to update in real-time manner. In addition, broadcasting of live events such as sports, elections, and news gain the most benefit out of this technology. However, the more popular a piece of content becomes, the less likely it is that it will be available to a user desiring to see it. It can cause network traffic busy if there are high demands on watching the media.
On the contrary, a boring program in webcasting can make users lose their attention immediately and turn off the program or switch to the new one. This really causes a lot of time and money that is wasted through bad resources. For a webcast that has to be delivered live manner, like television, this brings with it substantial disadvantages. The time of a live webcast may not suit everyone but a recorded webcast, however, can be viewed on demand, making it especially convenient to the target audience. It also allows the opportunity to edit the program, making it more professional and tailored to the audience’s needs. But the lack of freshness and excitement (especially for sport event or news) may cause this recorded program less attractive.

Other Webcasting Application:
Distance learning will be beneficial to this technology. A lot of US universities such as MIT and UC-Berkeley used webcasting to help promote their classroom activities (lecture note, event announcement) or help students alternatively gain more class resources.

Standard Issues:
One of the major disadvantages of Webcasting is that it has no established standard. This could be a critical problem for full-fledged Webcasting service. Standards help reducing risks for market entrants by negating the prospect of product obsolescence, further research, development costs, risks of consumers ending up with an orphaned product, and increasing competitiveness in international markets.
Webcasters may be reluctant to invest full-scale without the confidence that their choice of Web broadcasting systems will not be fully employed in the market. Digital right management (DRM) technology is also an important standard that are used to limit the distribution of any digital contents. It is integrated into some commercial software which may or may not be the one that users have. This may end up by letting users facing legal issues of copyright if he or she employs the non-integrated DRM software

Security Issues:
Currently there is no any confirmation on finding virus or spyware infected from downloading a streaming media. There are some reported but most of the infection does not come directly from downloading the media but rather to require users to download some update programs in order to view the media. There are some research articles mentioning on the security issue of private networks streaming. Basically, they have focused on security issues around implementation and use of the Direct Data Placement Protocol (DDP) and Remote Direct Memory Access Protocol (RDMAP). It is not directly related to webcasting. However, some part of their idea may be able to use for further developing on webcasting security issue on any organization networks. Seem like the best answer right now is “choosing trusted sources”.

Summary:
Based on the discussion of strength and weakness of webcasting, it is more likely that it has a potential to be the leading convergence technology in the future. Webcasting can provide live and/or video-on-demand services, reach a vast area of the world instantly through the Internet, and also provide seamless interactive service such as e-commerce business.

However, a more important factor that will determine the future of webcasting for a business organization lies in emphasizing the importance of implementation instead of mere adoption of new innovation. I found that the technology is suitable to convey live broadcasting events such as breaking news and sports. Some business may found it useful for training, showcase events, or updating real-time information. Even though consuming large bandwidth is the current major concern of webcasting technology, however, with more advanced technology in transmission line and reduction of bandwidth cost in the future, this may help webcasting being more attractive technology. Companies in the IT, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and financial services areas that real-time information are critical in their business proving to be the most enthusiastic adopters of webcasting.

Tanner Dabel

2^nd Opinion paper

VoIP

Is VoIP a Silver Bullet for the Global Business World?

When I say Gizmo Project, Skype and Vonage, what’s the first thing to pop into your head? No, we’re not talking about the furry creature from that creepy 80’s movie called Gremlins. Yes, Skype is a real word (seriously, it’s a company!) No I’m not talking about the retro van in the Vonage commercials, or the “w-hoo hoo” theme song of theirs. I’m talking about VoIP (Voice over IP). The concept had been around for a couple years, buts it’s quickly taking shape on the global level.

VoIP basically is the means in which you can use an internet connection or company T1 line to make or take phone calls. Rather then using the traditional phone lines, the call actually is run through an existing network with access to an internet connection (e.g. WiFi and broadband) or private company T1 lines. What use to be a cheap way for exchange students and US troops overseas to make calls back to home, has turned into a new global business solution.

Along with many other technologies, VoIP has both pros and cons. For as many pros that come with using VoIP, there are close to the same amount of cons (which actually aren’t against VoIP itself, but have to do more with its limitations.) Some people are ready to give up the traditional phone to go entirely VoIP (usually this occurs more on a personal level and not a company), while others refuse to have anything to do with VoIP. Ideally a business should look for that magic compromise somewhere in the middle. This strongly is determined by what the company does and how it uses the many forms of communication.

First evaluating and discussing the pros to VoIP; the foremost pro is VoIP’s mobility. VoIP allows business travelers the ability to make and take calls where ever, whenever. The only requirement is that of an internet connection. Often in these cases, that connection is a WiFi hot spot (e.g. hotels data centers, airport terminals or street side coffee shops.) This optimal mobility allows business travelers to take and make calls overseas as if they were local calls. If one where to work in San Francisco, but currently was in Tokyo for a business trip, they could take their VoIP phone number with them. It essentially is like having a cell phone that worked on a global level, but instead of having a small cell phone, you just need access to a computer with the internet. As you can quickly see, the benefits of this for some would be tremendous to some.

Another positive aspect to VoIP lay in how VoIP is already inherently integrated into computer and internet technologies. Such features that are often included with VoIP services: 3-way calling, phone conferencing, call forwarding, auto redial and caller id. In addition to these features, other features enhance the already mentioned; such as: (1) video (for 3-way calling and phone conferencing), (2) file transfer (for 3-way calling and phone conferencing) and (3) online status (for call forwarding, auto redial and caller id). All these features can greatly enrich the phone call and usually at no charge; whereas with traditional phone calling, some features are not possible, while others come with a fee.

As with all wonderful things in life, not everything is prefect. Let’s now cover the cons to using VoIP. Again, these cons are not necessarily because VoIP is bad or evil, but more or less because of its current limitations. The first one has to do with security. Depending on what a company uses its communication lines for, VoIP may not be the most secure option. As it stands now, VoIP cannot handle encryption very well. Though this aspect of VoIP is being addressed, I believe it will take some time to improve this element of VoIP. Until then, any company dealing with sensitive information may not want to use VoIP as its choice for telecommunications.

Another aspect of VoIP that is currently being worked on, but still needs improvement is the quality and stability of calls made via VoIP. It’s not uncommon to run into any of the following issues: echoes, lag time, cross over and even dropped calls. Because of this a company who needs stable telecommunication lines may not want to use VoIP until it can be shown that these problems no longer exist, or exist only at the same level as using the standard phone.

Additionally VoIP due to its nature of being ultra mobile also runs into troubles with geographical features tied to the traditional telecommunications, primarily the 911 system. Usually, when one makes a phone call to the 911 system, it can be determined geographically where the call is being made and the nearest dispatch center receives the call. Because of this permanent geographical element with traditional landlines, VoIP fails terribly in this respect. At the present time, the issue is being addressed and the E911 (enhanced 911) systems is being revised to bring VoIP into the 911 network. This however, will not completely fix the geographical aspect that landlines have, which VoIP does not. This will only allow those using VoIP to register where they normally are, so that educated guesses can be made as to the geographically location of the call incase the 911 system is being used.

Shifting to the physical demands of VoIP, another aspect that sets it apart from physical phone lines is that of power source dependency. Unlike phone lines, when the network goes down, or there are brown/blackouts; the VoIP in that area also is susceptible to going down. Because of the power source dependency, companies must be aware that using VoIP as it’s primarily form of telecommunications made lend itself to a troublesome situation if their power goes out or networks go down.

Speaking of power outages and networks going down, another key aspect of VoIP is the ability to firewall it. Some countries that have government run telephone systems currently are imposing restrictions on VoIP. One of the ways to restrict it is through the means of setting up firewalls to block transmissions into our out of a country. These governments have the capacity to shutdown and cause VoIP blackouts. Other means to restriction of VoIP is that of taxes, charges, bans, fees and in some extremes considering it a criminal offense. Because of this, if a company decides to use VoIP (especially for global business traveling), they should first look into how other they counties they deal with, treat VoIP.

As you can see, VoIP does have many fantastic features to it. But along with the great potential, one must look at what limitations it also brings. In some situations, VoIP seems to be a very good solution, but as with all technology, there is no silver bullet that can remedy every situation. Many outside factors should be considered prior to a company investing in VoIP. Companies also should not over invest in VoIP. By that I mean, a complete replacement of traditional phone lines. As pointed out in some situations above, VoIP isn’t always the best option as a form of telecommunication. As long as a company does its homework and fully understands how it can harness the power and potential of VoIP, I believe it can be a very useful tool in the business world.

VoIP 1th Position paper

VoIP Position Paper-security issues

Rokeshia Robinson

March 19, 2007

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP i.e., IP telephony, Internet telephone, Digital Phone) is the routing of voice conversation over the Internet or any other IP-based network. The voice data flows over a general-purpose packet-switched network, instead of traditional dedicated circuit-switched voice transmission lines. Before VoIP, telecommunications occurred over a public switched telephone network, that is, voice data traversed circuit switched connections. The cost savings of VoIP, both in dollars and bandwidth, compared to that of circuit switched networks is encouraging companies to move to VoIP. However, VoIP deployment has brought several security concerns.

Securing VoIP system is a lot more challenging than securing pure data network. Since VoIP does not have a dominant protocol standard, the support of two standards in products just increases the chance of buggy application. In addition, the quality of service requirement of VoIP leaves less working room for possible security measures. Not to mention various threats to confidentiality, integrity and availability of VoIP systems.

VoIP needs two types of protocols; signaling protocol and media protocols. Signaling protocols manage call setup and teardown. Media protocols manage the transmission of voice data over IP networks. However, every vendor uses either its own proprietary or one of two standards, H.323 and SIP (session initiation protocol). For example, Cisco uses the SCCP (signaling connection control part) protocol, were as the organization that I currently work for use the Avaya-UNISTIM (unified network stimulus) protocol. These proprietary protocols make it difficult to inter-connect products from different vendors.

Quality of service is vital for the success of VoIP since few will use it if VoIP can not deliver at least the same voice quality as traditional telephone network. While, I believe that the quality for VoIP may be affected by latency, jitter, and loss packets these same issues affect traditional telephone networks. VoIP has introduced requirements for data packets to reach their destination in a more restricted time frame than other internet protocol (IP) applications. Many applications are somewhat tolerant of packet delay and it may be imperceptible to the client using the application. Packet delay in VoIP, however, can reduce the functionality to unusable.

Another security issues surrounds the ability to eavesdrop on phone conversations. Conventional telephone eavesdropping requires either physical access to tap a line, or penetration of a switch. With VoIP, opportunities for eavesdroppers increase dramatically because of the large number of nodes in the path between two conservation entities. If the attacker compromises any of theses nodes, he/she can access the IP packets flowing through that node. There are several free network analyzers and packet capture tools that can convert VoIP traffic to wave files. These tools allow the attackers to save the conversation into the files and ply them back on a computer.

Unauthorized access attack is another security concern when using VoIP. A legitimate user may perform an incorrect or unauthorized operations function and may cause delirious modification, destruction, deletion or disclosure of switch software and data. An intruder may masquerade as a legitimate user and access an operation port of the switch.

In conclusion, I can go on and on about security stuff and how these issues would influence businesses decision not to implement VoIP. Unfortunately, there are some countermeasures to most of the security concerns that I have addressed. However, these security issues continue to be ongoing issues within organizations who adapt VoIP technology. With all the other potential threats lurking out there, I wouldn’t just to this technology unless I had the right security team and IT team in place to manage the ongoing issues.

BitTorrent

David Stevens
March 5, 2007
MCS 760

BitTorrent

BitTorrent was developed as means of widely distributing large amounts of data, specifically it enables the transferring of large files or a large group of files. Users use a BitTorrent client to request a certain file or prepare a file for transmission. The corporate use of BitTorrent clients has remained limited while the general public has associated BitTorrent use with software and media file piracy. However, there have been some new developments that are forcing companies to look at how they could use BitTorrent. A base of BitTorrent client users exists which gives companies a low barrier of entry into the selling of downloaded content. Small companies that would be unable to deliver content over the Internet if they were required to provide their own hardware and bandwidth.

BitTorrent Inc. is selling their own licensed content and material that Hollywood studios have licensed them to distribute over their website. BitTorrent Inc. is attempting to deliver digital rights managed multimedia content to customers that want to rent a movie. Their service is set up like the other online movie rental services (Cinemanow.com and Movielink.com), however they rely on their customers using a BitTorrent client to download the material instead of proprietary software.

Additionally, BitTorrent is being used by open source software providers to distribute disc images. This is an example of an organization with a low overhead finding ways to cheaply and efficiently distribute their product. The manner that the open source community is using BitTorrent to freely distribute their software shows how a business opportunity exists for companies wanting to distribute or sell multimedia content. Video game developers and movie studios could use BitTorrent to sell disk images of their content to increase their sales and expand their product's market influence.

The viability of using BitTorrent for a non-multimedia situation is not a realistic option. BitTorrent is designed to move large files or a large group of files easily, but it is not the most efficient choice when trying to move small files. The BitTorrent Protocol is an affective option for companies that are looking at ways to deliver on-demand multimedia. An business application that will most likely develop in the near future will consist of movies being downloaded using a protocol like BitTorrent for people to watch on their home theaters instead of going to a movie theater. The process of delivering the content in a fashion that is secure from having the content pirated is making this business prospect not viable at present.

The manner that digital rights are enforced and respected will affect BitTorrent's future. It is possible for the BitTorrent protocol to be successfully used when distributing and receiving legal content, but it is important that the standardization of digital rights occurs and becomes widely accepted. As long as the piracy image of the BitTorrent protocol is allowed to exist the delivery of multimedia content over the Internet will be tainted. However, it is also necessary that consumers and suppliers come to an understanding of what each digital license allows the users to do with their content and how much they should be charged for said license. The existence of the piracy market shows that consumers feel that the cost of a legal digital license is too great to offset the risks (legality issues, computer viruses, poor content quality) of downloading pirated material.

Position paper for Webcasting

Chinnapong Somsueb

ID# 1671071

March 12, 2007

Position paper for Webcasting

Webcasting is the "transmission of linear audio or video content over the Internet." (1) The streaming technology is used to share content with many simultaneous listeners and viewers. Therefore, the majority type of content for webcast would be a television-related show. In addition, webcast would be useful in the education industry as well because of distance learning or video on-demand which students can watch and learn at their convenience. There are several the benefits of webcasts such as convenience, accessibility, and using Internet technology.

Due to the use of Internet technology, webcasts can be a convenient way to receive content. Unlike either television or radio which, is on pre-programmed times, we can access to obtain webcast contents at our convenient. For example, people can go to broadcasters’ websites and watch their favorite programs on their free time either at home or school.

In addition to convenience, we can also access webcast contents either by only voice or multimedia such as radio, TV, and any presentation almost everywhere that has computer and internet connection. According to Internet World Stats, as of January 2007, approximately 1,094 million people worldwide use the Internet (1). Therefore, those people could be able to access any webcast contents. This is a huge number of people compared with other types of media. Moreover, the number of people who can access the network is increasing significantly.

Similar to the current TV and radio technology, Internet and multicast technology are also used in webcasting. Therefore, many users can access the same content at the same time. Furthermore, webcasts can be accessed by using this Internet technology from wherever there is a computer with an internet connection. This could spread not only the entertainment materials, but also the education-related content. The education materials will become easier to access. Moreover, this multicast still has an opportunity to be improved and developed in order to be more optimized and delivered a bigger size of multimedia contents.

In conclusion, consumers, students, and broadcasters would be able to gain several advantages from webcasting technology, such as convenience and accessibility. The most significant issue about distributing multimedia throughout the internet is that the speed of the network has to be fast enough in order to receive it smoothly. Additionally, this type of broadcasting depends on computers and the Internet. The Internet is the only channel on which people who have internet can watch and receive contents if they want a webcast. On the other hand, since 1995, the growth of webcasting traffic has roughly doubled year after year. As a result, there are many opportunities for webcasting to grow and to be used widely.

Reference:

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webcast

Joe Farrar

2^nd Opinion paper

Webcasting

The term webcast is generally accepted as meaning “the transmission of audio or video content over the Internet.” Webcasting is not a new technology; it has been around since the late nineteen-nineties. As of late, webcasting has become far more prevalent due to the fact that broadband internet connections are becoming the norm. This increased prevalence, combined with an increasingly savvy user, is changing the way businesses are able to communicate both internally and externally

For example, a CEO can now deliver a speech to all employees in real-time or have it archived to be viewed at a later date. Corporate training videos containing specific product information can also be made available behind the firewall to ensure employees possess the specific knowledge necessary to perform their duties. Additionally, customers are able to support themselves by accessing user-friendly streaming videos developed to answer common FAQ’s. This new form of communicating translates into savings in terms of both time and money for corporations. This savings stems from the end-user’s empowerment to choose when to review material.

New mediums are being introduced via the internet all the time. What was originally looked at as sophomoric and juvenile is being seen as big business. Take the online video site YouTube for example. YouTube doesn’t produce any content and it doesn’t sell anything to consumers. However, it recently was sold to Google for $1.65 billion dollars. The reason for YouTube’s success is because of its reach. It serves up 100 million videos per day to viewers all over the world making it the largest provider of online videos on the planet. YouTube is a mosaic of user-uploaded video content that ranges from cute to just plain bizarre. However, with more people spending more time online and less time watching television, it is able to compete with traditional broadcast companies by offering a range of options for users to view. In the future, I see YouTube becoming even more popular as they have stated that they will begin paying producers of content on a per hit basis. This per-hit model will give video producers more reason to create more entertaining and innovative content, thereby cementing YouTube’s place in the market.

Podcasting is another form of webcasting that uses either a personal compute or a portable music player to pull content that is selected from a list. The word "podcast" is derived from Apples iPod, and is distinguished from other webcasting formats through its ability to download automatically. Podcasts give the user the freedom to take the audio and, increasingly, video content with them wherever they go. Language lessons, corporate announcements, and museum tours can all be pushed down to the user so they can listen or watch it when it is most convenient. I was recently in a church that had a weekly podcast from its archdiocese for the congregation.

Webisodes are new and original content usually provided to supplement the original programming on either cable or television network. This is usually used to promote or advertise a show or product prior to its release. Additionally, original web based content similar in format to television shows have been produced for viewing solely online. However, these online programs usually last only for a few episodes.

As consumers demand these types of content, the technologies that support its delivery will get even better. We can expect surround-sound and high-definition quality video delivered at the click of a mouse. Companies will find ways to incorporate these technologies into their corporate culture and to take advantage of emerging technologies to serve their best interests. In the long run, this means that we can expect both a richer online experience at home and at the office.

Is there room for IM in the corporate world?

"My first position paper"

Posted by Tanner Dabel

Feb. 11^th, 2007

Surprisingly IM (instant messaging) systems were created in the 70’s, but went unnoticed until the mid 90’s. It was at this time that client systems like ICQ and AOL started to resonate with the mainstream population. Many attribute this to our mass awakening of the internet and its common day usage in the mid 90’s. This quickly became the age of the internet, email, chat rooms and instant messaging systems. Communication no longer was limited to verbal or print; it had transcended the boundaries of becoming digital.

Early on IM systems were adopted primarily by teenagers as a social and recreational tool. This was a means to communicate with friends and family through ones computer rather then on the phone or in person. Usage of IM systems often occurred outside of school and the workplace. Due to this informal usage; rules, laws and polices were loosely defined and rarely needed. One needn’t be concerned with the legal, financial or regulatory issues involved with using an IM system for private and personal use.

Slowly over the last decade though, this loosely defined form of digital communication has been seeping into the corporate world. Those users whom were teenagers just ten years ago are in their 20’s and now hitting the corporate world. As the saying goes, old habits die hard. For those who want to eradicate it from their already infected business, I have one phrase for you; “Good Luck!” For those who haven’t been infected yet, I have another phrase for you; “Start planning!” Like a virus with no cure, IM systems in the workplace are spreading faster than the corporate world can coupe with them.

As with an incurable virus, businesses only have one real choice, “acceptance”. But, instead of allowing IM to be an ongoing virus, businesses can morph it into an antivirus; viewed more as a solution, rather then a problem. Basically, you get what you make. You can’t make IM go away, so make it into something positive, rather then negative. IM may be young, but it’s stubborn. Its here and it isn’t going to go away. If a company is smart, it will use IM to its advantage, using all its features working it into the companies’ schema. If a company isn’t, it’ll either a.) bury its head and ignore it or b.) attempt to eradicate and fail.

Since its always fun to discuss the bad news first, I’ll quickly cover why it’s bad for a company to ignore IM as a potential problem and why it’s bad to try to eradicate it from you company. As with most problems, the issue isn’t going to go away. Most likely, the people whom work for you are more technically savvy than you, especially the younger ones. As stated above, old habits die hard. These people have been using IM for years and it’s now embedded in their day to day life. If nothing is done, these people will (if they haven’t already) take it upon themselves to install these IM systems and use them unchecked and uncontrolled. Starting to see how ignoring this could be very bad to your company? Imagine all the confidential leaks, intellectual property issues and privacy concerns that might be occurring and you’ve chosen to ignore it. Oh and this is just the outbound threats. Now imagine all the people your people are talking to. Think a few of them might have viruses, worms, spyware or malware? I bet so, and all it takes is one person to click “accept” for one peer to peer file transfer and now your dealing with a level 3 Symantec threat dancing around on your network. Sounds fun doesn’t it. Those are considered the inbound threats. Lastly, let’s not forget all the legal and financial ground that IM systems seem to tread on. Most of this ground hasn’t been covered yet and has the potential to be a powder keg of lawsuits waiting to happen.

Now let’s discuss trying to eradicate it. How do you plan to do this? Block specific ports that IM systems use? Sorry try again, most current IM systems use port crawlers and can get around this. Tell your workers not to install or use them? Yeah, that’s like telling a kid “don’t touch this”, then walking away and hoping they listened. Block all ports from allowing IM system a way in, yeah, but its going to cost thousands in what I’d consider wasted funds. Oh and you know, as soon as its completely blocked, someone will start developing a “work-a-round” to enable it again. In addition, completely blocking it takes away all the positive uses IM systems have to over. Oh and it gives your workers just one more reason to be disgruntled with you.

Ok, enough dwelling on the negative reaction to IM systems, lets move on to the more logical and beneficial aspects to an IM system. If implement correctly, a lot of the cons to having an IM system quickly evaporate. First things first however, when deciding to implement an IM system you’ve got to round up the troops and get a plan in motion. The best course of action is to bring management, IT and legal together. Management needs to decide on what the IM policy will be. This is very important. The policy should cover how the IM system should be used, when to use it and with who and why it should be used. It should also cover who controls it, who monitors it, who installs and upgrades it. In addition, it should also be mentioned that the IM system is an extension of the company and all incoming and outgoing IMs are subject to being logged and on file for future record keeping, investigations and potential audits. Oh and lastly, the policy needs to cover enforcement and punishment if IM is abused (and it might be good to define what abusing it would entail). Basically, the policy needs to clearly explain all the aspects that could be considered when using IM in the workplace. As this is being done, the IT department should look into what clients are available, and need to start coming up with an implementation, monitoring and upgrading plans for the IM system. IT needs to understand how the system will be integrated into the company and its business function. Lastly, legal needs to be brought into the conversation so they can clearly explain to the company where IM might be abused and how it could impact the company when and if it is abused.

IM systems have plenty of reason as to why they shouldn’t be used. But most of those reasons are only there if the IM systems are not correctly implemented and have no policy or are not subject to any guidelines. If time is taken to correctly implement an IM system and a well thought out policy is developed, many great things can be done with IM. The key to running an IM system within your company successfully is to understand everything there is to know about that IM system and to communicate this information to your workers as well. Knowledge and awareness will go a long ways in turning this potential problem into a great solution.

So, let’s go back to that initial question: Is there room for IM in the corporate world? Simply put; I don’t think we have a choice. IM systems are working their way into businesses left and right. Weather we want them or not, they’re going to seep in. Now that they are here, let’s work at turning it into a positive situation, rather then allowing it to be a negative one.