E-mail is fast and informal, but when we crave instant communication without leaving our desktops, nothing beats instant messaging. Originally a chatting arena for preteens and bored interns, IM can be a viable business tool, yet it still carries some old stigmas, is often misunderstood by management and can be an insecure conduit for company information. In most enterprises, users are accessing IM under the radar because those companies haven't taken on the expense of blocking unauthorized IM networks. Small and midsize businesses may use public IM to avoid the expense of a private system.

By Mike DeMaria at Network Computing.

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