The instant messaging debate

Instant messaging (IM) conjures up images of bored teenagers using a software-based gossiping tool. Most IM programs are free, and few competing products can talk to one another, making skeptics wonder how useful IM is in the enterprise.

But some business users, especially remote workers parked in front of desks all day and eager for contact with colleagues, have become avid users of IM as a way of quickly swapping messages and information.

The jury is still out on whether IM increases workplace productivity. But even people who believe that IM isn’t an ideal business technology, with its rapid-fire text messages, acknowledge that there are problems with the alternatives. E-mail and voice mail pile up, and a recent report found that more than 60 per cent of business phone calls never reach their intended recipients. Such deficiencies may help explain the growing number of IM users: According to Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc., 42 per cent of business Internet users use IM in the workplace, even though 70 per cent of IT departments don’t support it.

While many executives aren’t convinced of its worth to the enterprise, “the tens of millions of people using IM through the Web must be getting some benefit,” says Dana Gardner, research director for messaging and collaboration services at Aberdeen Group Inc. in Boston.

Organizations like the U.S. Navy, which uses Lotus Software Group’s Sametime for secure, almost instantaneous ship-to-ship and submarine-to-shore communications, say IM makes life easier. The Navy values having written transcripts of all orders and communiqu

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now