Firms warned about IM threat
17 May 2005
The increasing use of instant messaging (IM) services in the UK is reportedly exposing firms to a range of security and legal threats.
A new survey by YouGov reveals that one in five people now use IM at work, but 2 per cent of companies are unprotected possible threats caused by misuse of IM. The use of IM for personal communications and file transfers at work can leave networks open to harmful viruses or spyware.
A quarter of all respondents admitted that they had used IM to say something their boss would not approve of and 16 per cent using instant messaging to send or receive sensitive company information. A quarter of those polled (25 per cent) on behalf of Akonix Systems said they used IM to gossip about work colleagues and seven per cent of users aged 18-29 used it to liaise with potential employers while at work.
Bill Harmer, managing director EMEA at Akonix, commented: "The use of Instant Messaging as a business communications tool is growing rapidly, with some analysts predicting that IM use will surpass email by as early as 2006."
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