Creating an Employee IM Policy
By
Peter Alexander
A few years ago, a technology startup's CEO was mortified to
discover that thousands of his confidential instant messages had
been posted on the internet. His messages were an enormous
embarrassment for his company and its business partners, and the
CEO even received death threats.
Though IM has many advantages, its growing use in the workplace
can expose small businesses to a host of security, legal and other
risks. To help protect your business, it's advisable to draw up
and implement an IM best practices policy. Here are some tips to
get you started.
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Make sure IM sessions are protected. Some
IM services offer encryption and security standards, such as Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL), to protect messages. Nonetheless, it's
essential to protect all your small business's electronic
communications with a firewall, which defends against unauthorized
computer access, as well as anti-virus and anti-spyware solutions.
Another option is a virtual private network (VPN), which enables
remote and mobile workers to access your network over a secure
connection. For more about basic network security, see
"Is Your Biz Safe From Internet Security
Threats?."
With proper use on a secure network, instant messaging can keep
you in closer touch with your customers, partners and
suppliers--and that's good for business.