Instant messaging world

Primus to Provide VoIP for MSN Messenger

2011-12-14T02:45:00.001-08:00

Primus Telecommunications Group, Inc. has entered into an agreement with Microsoft Corp. to provide Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) services for MSN Messenger Service customers. Marketed as "PrimusTalk," once a user has logged into MSN Messenger Service, calls can be made by clicking on the "Make a Phone Call" link. A phone dialer will appear where a call can be made to any number -- national, international or mobile.

The McLean, Va.-based Primus will provide PrimusTalk service as an Internet telephony application that can be accessed by any user accessing MSN Messenger Service. Specifically, the PC-to-phone service will be integrated with the MSN Messenger Service as an option that may be accessed by users of Microsoft client software programs.

"Primus is leading the way to a carrier class era of converged communications solutions," said John Melick, co-president of Primus and one of the principal developers and implementers of the company's VoIP initiatives. "As a third-party solutions provider with market leading positions in global voice and Internet services, the advantage of Primus offering a voice service over the Internet's architecture is the added convenience and value available to customers by engaging in communications at their desktop or wherever they are using a MSN Messenger Service-enabled device."

Primus owns and operates its own global VoIP backbone network connecting over 300 points-of-presence in over 80 countries in Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Europe. The network is supported by automated backroom systems and operating control centers. Primus can terminate VoIP calls to virtually any destination in the world where such termination is not prohibited by law.

Operating as a VoIP carrier for more than two years, Primus now has over an six percent worldwide market share for international VoIP traffic, according to a 2001 TeleGeography Report. The company is now expanding through the launch of new products and the formation of third party relationships to extend its VoIP services directly to end-user business and consumer customers who will be able to directly access Primus' global VoIP network.

By owning and operating its own public switched telephone network (PSTN) of switching faculties and fiber optic cable capacity, Primus is able to provide back-up and disaster recovery for its VoIP network. Primus also owns and operates its own global asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and IP backbone network. As such, Primus maintains peering relationships and Internet network facilities supporting IP services on a higher level than most pure-play VoIP providers.

New AIM Beta Turns On Two-Way Social Networking

2011-12-14T02:18:00.001-08:00

A new beta release of AIM's client software moves the instant messaging service ahead on its increasing awareness of the challenges posed by social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

With the release of AIM 2.0.222, "Lifestream" features offer users a way to post to their accounts on Twitter, Facebook, delicious, Digg, YouTube and flickr from the client, providing a one-stop location for updates to and from assorted buddies, friends and contacts on those services. AIM has also enhanced mobile integration, allowing users to update their statuses or receive updates from their contacts via SMS.

One-way integration with the services, using the AIM client as a way to receive updates, was introduced earlier in the summer when lifestream.aim.com was introduced.

Setting up a new connection between an AIM account and a service involves clicking an "add" link on the service and stepping through whatever authorization mechanisms it provides. Connecting an AIM account to Facebook, for instance, involves approving several kinds of interaction between the two services, including what kinds of updates can be shared across services.

Once a service is connected to AIM, updates from it appear in a "Lifestream" tab on the AIM client (see the screenshot). The new beta also offers the ability to post comments or responses to updates from linked services. Finally, users can choose to filter the updates shown in the AIM client, limiting them by service or update type.

Reports around the Web indicate that the new update capabilities aren't yet perfected. While it's possible to reliably pull in status upd ates from outside services via the AIM client, sending updates to those services appears to work only some of the time.

By InstantMessagingPlanet.com Staff

Instant Messaging Over LAN

2011-10-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

It used to be that businesses had a general dependance on what types of products and services were attractive to the internet users. In the early days of the Internet, networking LAN technologies and needs were the driving force behind the creation of many software applications and tools that users accessed. The growing popularity of the World Wide Web with casual computer users led to a paradigm shift in how to approach usable software solutions for these users. Simple to install and use software applications such as file sharing, e-mail and instant chat programs were instantly popular.

Businesses began to take notice of how these tools could be useful in everyday work settings. As such, organizations began to look into how to utilize collaborative tools such as sending IMs on LANs, social network portals and productivity applications to support their objectives. Initial tools required either using obscure and hard to understand command line utilities such as net send in order to communicate on a networking LAN environment. While this method was effective in keeping communications internal and secure within the company network system, unless users were skilled computer technicians, it wasn't a practical solution. It soon became apparent that more user friendly resolutions needed to be implemented for the corporate world.

The growing popularity of the Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and MSN Messenger programs were a driving force into the development of effective networking LAN IM solutions. While all of these tools can be used to communicate with virtually anyone that is connected to the Internet, they can also allow business users to communicate with one another. For the business, this solution does present some risks. It meant that to accommodate the ability for users to work together by sending IMs on LAN equipment, they would be able to contact people outside of the organization.

The solution to preventing a security risk from allowing sending IMs on LAN networks was easy to implement. Each of these popular messaging programs has been updated to allow specific configuration on networking LAN topologies to only allow people to see other users on the same intranet. For a company that wished to keep their software solutions in-house, the creation of custom chat programs helped to overcome the possible risk of outside intrusion. The end result was that the casual user caused businesses to take notice and influenced the solution for a common organizational need.

Source: Ali Gheli
http://www.techiwarehouse.com

Apptix Secure Instant Messaging Software

2011-09-05T01:35:00.000-07:00

Apptix Secure Instant Messaging is an enterprise-class messaging system that protects against security breaches without compromising the efficiency and productivity of instant communications. Native integration with Microsoft Outlook® provides real-time Presence awareness for more effective connections.

Key Benefits

* Enhanced communication and collaboration through media-rich interactive audio or video online meetings
* Significant reduction of business travel costs
* Recording functionality for future playback
* Seamless integration with other hosted solutions
* Includes Secure Instant Messaging

Standard Features

* End-to-end encryption
* One-on-one or multi-user chats
* Integration with Microsoft Outlook
* Direct access to contacts within Global Address List
* Real-time Presence information
* Alerts when contacts become available

Optional Capabilities

In addition to standard IM service, Apptix enables you to extend your Instant Messaging capabilities to your mobile device. This allows you to access contacts within the Global Address List, get real-time Presence information, and both initiate and receive Instant Messages wherever you go.

Why Apptix?

Over 20,000 organizations around the world choose Apptix for their hosted communication, collaboration, and infrastructure needs. Apptix delivers Reliable, Easy-to-Manage services backed by 24/7 Customer Service – for Reduced TCO and Unbeatable Value.

5 Reasons You Don't Need Facebook Messenger

2011-08-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

Facebook's free Instant Messaging application for iPhone and Android has already got many downloads - but that doesn't mean it's a special achievement.

Facebook released Tuesday a standalone IM tool for the iPhone and Android, spread between cell phone users a dedicated tool for messaging it up with their Facebook friends. The prog has already proven its popularity by rocketing to the top of the iPhone Free Apps list, but popularity alone does not make for a great utility.

Here are five simple reasons why professionals don't need the Facebook Messenger app.

1. It's Redundant

There's already an official Facebook messaging app for the iPhone and Android. It's called Facebook. If you want to message your friends from your phone, you just launch it, go the to main menu, and tap Messages. When you have new messages in the regular Facebook app, you still get a notification badge. While it may make business sense for Facebook to make a play to become a major instant messaging service in competition with AIM and Microsoft Windows Live Messenger, it doesn't make much sense for end users to download a whole new app to do something the regular Facebook app already does.
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2. It's Interruptastic

Instant messaging is one of the worst distractions you can install on any device, and every working person who's ever run an IM app on their PC knows how distracting (not to mention painfully annoying) an unexpected "Wassssaaaap?" from some bored buddy can be in the middle of a work day. Generally speaking, IM of any kind is a productivity drain for busy people. For reasons I'll explain in my third point, that goes double for Facebook Messenger.

3. Social Context

For IT managers and business managers alike, public IM platforms are a liability. One of the chief reasons for this, apart from security issues that I'll discuss momentarily, is that these apps open up to a worker's entire social network. So, in place of a productive, intranet-based collaboration tool, you get a wild-west timewaster in which everyone every worker knows is always a double-click away. Facebook's wide-open approach to mingling means you can't easily put yourself in "work" mode and receive messages from colleagues only during the business day. You're just open to everyone unless you turn off alerts. While Facebook Messenger does have the ability to mute alerts for 1 hour, it needs a setting to turn alerts off until after 5 p.m. or a user-customizable time.

4. Messenger Creep

Most IM users already have an AIM account, a Google Chat account, a Live Messenger account, and maybe a Yahoo Messenger account. I still have an old ICQ account from the mid-1990s. By making a bid to become your new go-to IM client, Facebook is adding to, rather than helping to eliminate, social fragmentation.

5. Trust Issues

Facebook accounts have become a prime target for online and offline thieves, and getting into an account can be as easy as stealing someone's cellphone from a restaurant table while the owner's head is turned. One of the most common scams that an intruder will run once he's broken into an account is to message all of accountholder's friends in an attempt to extract money or sensitive information. Even Facebook board member Jim Breyer has fallen prey to this kind of attack, and I've seen this type of threat first-hand myself. Until Facebook demonstrably fixes its security flaws, IT managers might do well to discourage Facebook IM as a channel for business communications.

Source:http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/instant_messaging/231300587/5-reasons-you-dont-need-facebook-messenger
Author: Robert Strohmeyer

How To Secure Your Instant Messaging Communication?

2011-07-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

Instant messaging (IM) existed before the Internet in multi-user operating systems as early as the 1960s. In 1996, Internet-wide IM became widely available through the ICQ platform. During the early days of Internet IM, ICQ and subsequent instant messaging services lacked privacy and security. Although IM services have increased security measures, there are still many risks in using an IM service. Take precautions that ensure secure IM.

1. Use messaging services that support encryption for authentication during log in and when messages are sent and received, such as Skype or AOL Instant Messenger. Encryption help to keep your passwords and messages from being hacked by unwanted persons across the Internet.

Some IM providers have encryption turned on by default while others ask you to turn it on in your messenger settings yourself. Before using a service, double check your settings to make sure encryption is enabled.

2. Prefer an IM company that does not keep a log or history from communications. Many IM services say they clean up their logs every few weeks, but a handful, including MSN Instant Messenger, do not store any logs of user activities.

3. Communicate through IM with people you already know and trust. This is the best way to avoid getting viruses or malicious files through an IM platform.

4. Always have anti-virus software updated during IM sessions. This will give you additional security from possible firewall invasions or viruses that can be transmitted unknowingly from your friends and colleagues.

5. Log off IM when you are finished chatting instead of just minimizing the window. Turn off the automatic connection selection on your IM software. There is no need to leave your computer open to risk when you are not actively messaging.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/

How Secure Is Instant Messaging?

2011-07-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Instant Messaging software (IM) can be a really helpful tool, but we know the following risks:

Don’t think your everyday IM conversations are private. They going over the network unencrypted and can be easily stealed. IM isn't a good way to transfer sensitive data such as credit card numbers, passwords, and social security numbers. It's about as secure as email, which is to say "not all that secure."

Worms are also a big problem. Several IM worms will send messages to all your IM buddies with instructions to "click here" to play a computer game or view an image, but point instead to a malicious URL that installs a virus. These messages will appear to your buddies either as you are initiating a session with them or in the middle of an existing IM session with you. And the worm is even smart enough to impersonate your buddy in the conversation if you try to verify his or her identity with a question like, "Is it really you?" To prevent infection, keep your IM software up-to-date and always install the latest security patches.

Akeni Instant Messaging Software

2011-06-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

Akeni Instant Messaging software - Business LAN IM is a client/server instant messaging platform that allows companies to keep their own secured private IM talks. The client has an user interface similar to AIM, ICQ, or MSN Messenger. It supports all the standard IM features such as chat, group conference, presence management, file transfer, offline messages and emergency alert/notification. Extra features include contact management and optional tabbed chat sessions.The server has advanced administration tools for managing user accounts, client-side logging capabilities and peer-to-peer file transfers. Akeni Pro Messenger can be setup on a private network without connecting to the internet and can easily be setup for use inside and outside the company firewall.

Akeni Instant Messaging -Pro Business IM 1.2 Chat Tools software developed by Akeni. The license of this chat tools software is shareware, the price is $199.00, you can free download and get a free trial before you buy a registration or license. Do not use warez version, crack, serial numbers, registration codes, pirate key for this chat tools software Akeni Instant Messaging - Pro Business IM.

Basic rules for secure IM communication.

2011-04-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

As time progresses, cybercriminals are refining their techniques to lure potential victims to visit malicious hyperlinks. Instant messaging is a very effective way for malware to stay active and thrive.

Last week, an unnamed computer worm forced Microsoft to temporarily suspend active links in its Live Messenger 2009 to prevent the aggressive instant messaging (IM) worm spreading.

Mak James, technical manager at ESET UK comments, “This is quite a surprising measure, because worms spreading through Instant Messaging (IM) such as Skype, Yahoo! Messenger and Microsoft Live Messenger are not new at all. For example, the AimVen worm was discovered in 2003 and was targeting the America Online Instant Messenger platform,”

James continues, “The modus operandi for this type of attack is simple. First the victim receives a message that contains a hyperlink from one of their contacts, clicks on it and gets infected. The worm can also use geo-localisation in order to use the victim's language and even relate to news or events trending in the victim's country. These advanced techniques may trick even the most cautious users.

ESET has compiled seven golden security rules while instant messaging:

1. Opening pictures, downloading files or clicking links should be avoided at all cost in case it comes from someone you do not know. Do not open suspicious files or links even if they come for someone you know; try to confirm with the person on the origin of the attachment.

2. Do not reply to messages from people you don’t know if you were not expecting them. If someone you do not recognise sends you a request to add him/her to your contacts, decline the request if not sure about the identity of the contact.

3. Unwanted messages ought to be blocked - blocking spam or messages from strangers might be easier than you think – most IM software allows you to create your own contact list.

4. Do not post sensitive information and private data in instant messages, especially refrain from sharing credit card numbers, banking details, paswords or important personal identification data like phone number or addresses. You should also avoid sharing information about your IM name or e-mail contact over the Intertnet.

5. Your Instant Messaging should also have as strong a password as any other account. Always use different passwords for different accounts and other online services (such as online banking, e-mail). Do not recycle your password. If you log in on public or shared computer, make sure to uncheck the automatic login feature.

6. Avoid meeting strangers that you have met online while instant messaging. If you decide to meet someone in real person anyway, take safety precautions – bring someone along with you.

7. Turn off your Web camera if you are not using it, as some malware allows criminals and strangers to spy on you through your own webcam. If you have an integrated camera, always check the control light that it is off when you are not using it.

Source: http://www.itsecurityportal.com

Consumer Instant Messaging in Business

2011-03-21T02:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, in its Internet Trends report, Morgan Stanley wrote about two fast emerging commerce platforms, social networking and mobile, calling them “game-changing IM communications.” Game-changing is an excellent descriptor, as the coming together of a number of factors have paved the way for a phenomenon happening throughout businesses, regardless of industry or size, that have had a profound impact on messaging technologies, employees and IT. Even though these products and tools were originally designed for consumers, they are finding their way into the corporate world at a staggering pace.

One of the key reasons is the adoption of these messaging communications for personal use. “We have seen such an adoption of technology in the home,” observes Ian Moyse, channel director for Webroot Software, Inc. “If you think about it, the home has become much more IT literate. It wasn’t so long ago that we didn’t have a PC at home, or if you did it was a really big box and quite expensive. Now people have laptops.” Moyse points to how in the U.K. ISPs have been known to give away cheap laptops with broadband connections. “On the home PC, you have the freedom of choice for anything you install. If you have an iPad or iPhone, of course you need iTunes, so that is installed. Then there is social media: Facebook, Twitter, etc. People are used to using all these things at home and then they come to work and want to use a particular device or application.” Because people are more IT literate than ever before, Moyse believes employees are much more likely to make technology choices without the approval of IT.

Pete Schlampp, vice president of marketing for Solera Networks characterizes this shift as the perfect storm. “First, Apple starts making these really cool products that everyone wants to have” iPhone, Mac laptop, iPads. Then you have this other trend where people are used to Facebook or Gmail, and there is this consumerization of IT, where people are very comfortable with IT. Then you have this massive recession, where companies aren’t spending money on the IT that they want to—whether it’s new computers, new servers, or better security. Finally, you have employees saying: ‘Why can’t I use my Mac or my iPhone?’ And so what has happened, is IT has let their guard down, and don’t have a good answer as to why not.”

This IT literacy is a driving force in the shift, as more and more employees are taking it upon themselves to choose the messaging technologies and tools they want in the workplace. “Almost every customer that I have talked to in the last month or two is dealing with this in some form or fashion,” acknowledges Fred Kost, director of marketing for security and borderless networks at Cisco Systems, Inc. “Users are procuring their own devices. It used to be BlackBerrys, but now we are seeing this huge influx of the popularity of a full-featured hybrid in the consumer’s hand and it is driving this desire to say: ‘Why can’t I get on the network and use this device?’ There are consumers that are pushing it into the IT environment just by numbers, price point and functionality.”
Personal vs. Company Issued

A recent study, The Cisco Connected World Report, which surveyed 2,600 workers and IT professionals in 13 countries, revealed that two of every three employees surveyed (66 percent) expect IT to allow them to use any device—personal or company-issued—to access corporate networks, applications, and information anywhere, at any time, and they expect the types of devices to continue diversifying.

“When a person gets a device, they are going to take it to work,” believes Dr. Nathaniel Borenstein, the co-creator of the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) email standard (the standard that still holds today) and chief scientist for Mimecast. “I think there is no getting around it. How openly they do it and how soon they do it is a function of the corporate culture. If you value a device enough to spend your own money for it, you probably are going to find it valuable at work, unless they give you something very similar.”

This trend seems to be taking hold. According to a recent Forrester Research report, almost half of U.S. and European businesses surveyed are embracing the notion of allowing personally owned devices access to a secure corporate network.

“Most of the companies we talk to have a majority of their employees on personally liable or individually liable phones vs. corporate,” confirms Dan Nemo, chief operating officer of TextGuard Inc. “This means they are bringing the phone into the workplace, but it is owned by the employee.” Nemo estimates that it is 60 to 70 percent of the companies he deals with. “Employees are bringing their personal devices to work and saying I want to get this connected and the employer has a choice. They can get better productivity, figuring the employee will work at home, at the doctor’s office, etc, plus the company doesn’t have to buy a big package, instead it can reimburse the employee for a piece. We hear many companies don’t want to take on the administrative hassle and the expense of phone plans. We expect this phenomenon will continue to happen, driven by employees that want the newest devices out there.”

The challenge to IT, as a result, is a host of mobile phone types to deal with. “We have two dynamics going on, one is the consumer wanting to do it, and the other is the IT organization trying to figure out how to support it,” says Kost. “Maybe it is more economical if employees do buy their own devices. So clearly, the device itself is having an impact.”

But can IT manage all the devices equally well? “I don’t think you can, yet,” says Borenstein. “I remember when people wanted to write user interfaces, applications that worked on the PC, Mac and UNIX. What they really wanted was a tool kit that would make them work on all of them with minimal modifications by the programmer, at one point that was an impossible dream. But now we have tool kits that do exactly that. It is likely to happen in the smartphone market, but not when it is evolving as quickly as it is. It can’t happen when it is evolving as quickly as it is! But once a few vendors shake out, and Android stabilizes and it becomes clear what Apple is and isn’t going to change about multi-tasking, and stuff like that, then you can imagine a software layer that produces an interface for the BlackBerry, the iPhone, etc. But I think we have a really difficult period for several years before that.”

With the days of a company supplying an employee with a phone dwindling these past three or four years, companies have benefited financially by avoiding expensive plans and employees get to use the phone of their choosing. “Employees definitely think it is great,” says Schlampp. “But it opens up a lot of security challenges. Certainly one of them is when someone brings in a device onto the network. How do you know where that device has been? How do you know if the person who is using it is the right person? Frankly, the technology to ensure that is not at the same level as if I was to bring my Dell laptop, which can be authenticated. So you have that trend going on, with companies unable to stem the tide and they do not have the resources to be able to say anything about it.”

Perhaps feeding this trend toward personal mobile phone use is the pace of adoption of these impressive mobile devices. In the same Morgan Stanley report, the authors noted that mobile is ramping faster than desktop Internet did and will be bigger than most people expect. The report predicts that more users will likely connect to the Internet via mobile devices than desktop PCs within five years. With mobile growth such as this, it might have been impossible to tell employees that they could not use their personal mobile devices at work anyway. But what of other consumer oriented messaging, like social media?

“Unless the user at work is locked down totally, there comes the dilemma in the particular world we are in, of security,” says Moyse. “The further you lock down a machine you impede the user to a point that they can’t work. So there has to be a balance. What we see in a lot of organizations is an element of lock down, but they can’t lock down as much as they’d like, because the help desk calls go up incredibly as users can’t do this or that. If you lock everyone down and take the big brother approach in the work environment, users are dissatisfied.”

Moyse also notes, because employees are so IT literate, that if users are impeded, they start to look for work arounds. “You often see a department that has one expert user that is really IT literate, install something. And someone else says: ‘Where did you get that?’ And the expert says: ‘I’ll install that for you’ and word gets around how to do it. It’s that viral thing, where someone downloads it and then emails it to three colleagues. That is the nature of the Web and email that has opened up the world to anyone with a PC. The implications for the IT department and the security of the business can be huge. This is the particular challenge with email or the Web; you can’t turn those applications off. You have to have the Internet open for your business.”

Kost agrees that locking employees down is not really an option. “Twenty-odd years ago, when employees came to work, they used the telephone on their desk to make some personal calls during the day, check in on the kids, make a dentist appointment, make a reservation. The modern workforce now are doing those same things with Facebook or Twitter, or other social media and communication tools and keeping up with all those people that in another age they might have called. Users coming to the office expect to use these tools, just like the phone used to be.”

But complete openness is surely not an option either. The 2nd Annual Network Forensics Survey published in October by Solera Networks found that visits to malicious Web sites and instant messaging (IM) use was particularly worrisome, with 96 percent feeling threatened by employee Web activity, and 71 percent fearing that IM poses security threats.
IT Cannot Say No

Employees today have high expectations when it comes to messaging technologies. “People are used to running their own networks at home,” observes Kost. “So, when IT says ‘no’ employees don’t understand why. ‘I can do this at home, why can’t I do it at work?’ IT is finding that ‘no’ doesn’t work. There is an employee moral, cultural thing, which some companies might say, big deal but to attract and retain talent that is a factor. Some of the research we did showed people are willing to make a trade off in compensation for some of this work flexibility, use of tools and applications.”

The Cisco Connected World Report, points to the expectation that employees demand to be able to access information from anywhere, revealing three of every five employees (60 percent) believe it is unnecessary to be in the office to be productive.

This cross of personal and business information and tools can quickly get sticky. As Schlampp points out, “If I bring my iPhone into the office, and I pick up the corporate Wi-Fi, I am sending email, etc. All that email is now going through the corporate network. It could be my Gmail account or it could be my Exchange account. All that data is flowing through the corporate network and I have an identity there. Then I hop onto my laptop, and I have the same identity. All of a sudden, you have a single person using multiple identities on multiple IP addresses and that can become a big problem for security. That is where having the ability to see everything and replay everything and correlate that data is essential.”

Kost says that in most organizations the number one concern is the fine line between company data and user data and how it is stored on that one device. “A policy must be in place that says the company retains the right, if it must, to wipe the device. You need some policy in place that says if you bring your own device in with music that is yours, contacts, etc, that the company can take some security actions, such as monitoring and that some of your personal activity might be captured. It is important that people know that their expectation of privacy might be changed because you are getting onto the network at work. The employee needs to know that backing up personal data is their responsibility and that wiping the device is a possibility. So there is an employee, employer understanding that needs to happen, or a code of ethics or device policy needs to exist independent of the technologies and that can be different in different parts of the world that have different privacy expectations.”

Moyse agrees, noting, “What about the content that is on these machines? At home, I may download iTunes. If I copy that, I have paid for the license, I am legitimately able to use that music on this machine. If I email one of those tracks to someone at work, or put it on a USB key or download off an illegal site at work or if there is an unlicensed music track on a work PC, the Directors of that business are liable for the license. Under UK law, even if the user installed it, you can’t delegate responsibility or liability to the user. A company acceptable use policy says you are not allow to have contents like that, you can fire the employee, you can take action, should the music publisher find out about the download, but it is still the company they are coming after.”

“The challenge we are getting into now is a lot of these sites, for example Twitter or Facebook, you can find a good business reason for using them,” adds Moyse. “Where do you draw the line? If you use it this way, it is beneficial to the company, if you use it that way, it can be dangerous.”

So what is IT to do? “It is easy to think of users as children—they want something, they take it. If they have a problem, they cry and they can’t always explain the problem,” says Borenstein. “It sounds kind of patronizing, but the truth is, if you conceptualize your users this way it can be a useful guide in how to deal with them. In this case, a child has a new toy, he loves his toy, do you tell him, ‘don’t use your toy’ or do you tell him how to change the batteries safely?”

With messaging technology and devices being driven into IT, instead of the former state of out from IT, how does IT get a handle on security? “From our perspective, on the security side, there is a new concept called ‘zero trust’ from Forrester,” says Schlampp. “This is their new framework for thinking about security. The title of it is great: No More Chewy Centers: The Zero Trust Model and they say we should think of the network security world as an M&M. You have this crunchy outer shell, where you kept out all the bad stuff, and inside it was tasty and you knew what it was and you could trust it. Well, no more chewy centers, because inside that M&M you now have all sorts of devices and people that you did not know about or were able to keep out before. But the reality is: We never really had the security that we perceived we did, turns out the chocolate was never that great anyway.”

Schlampp goes on to explain that we can’t treat network security like an M&M anymore. “Basically, you can’t trust anybody on your network, so you have to raise the level of the game of your network security team. Their job is not to just keep people out, their job is to actively monitor what is happening. So that if something bad starts to unfold, you have the tools and capabilities to understand what is happening and shut it down quickly.”

Today, IT is between a rock and a hard place. “IT administrators, the people who run IT departments are people who like to bring order out of chaos, they like control,” believes Borenstein. “Bless those people, I do not know what we would do without them, but I think they are going to have to let go of some of this. The question to ask is not, can they keep these devices out, because there is an easy answer, which is no, instead it is how can we manage the flow of information into and around these devices, how can they make them more secure? There are ways to do that.” Borenstein goes on to say that Mimecast is integrating corporate email with BlackBerry devices so both can be archived and support secure communications. “We are hoping to have that before long for other devices too. The message we would like to give employees is sure, use an iPhone, use a BlackBerry, but run this software so that mail is handled more securely.”

Kost warns that a whole new class of device is imminently expected, as he notes that according to Gartner just under 20 million tablets will ship this year and next year 55 million will ship. “These may or may not replace the laptop, but millions and millions of these devices are going to be out there,” he says.

IT organizations are going to need to rely on the technology more than ever before believes Moyse. “We are going to need to put protection into place that does not hinder the user. A lot of the products now consistently use pop-ups asking the user, do you really want to do this? Is this secure? We are imposing too much on the user. Customers want the best protection they can get, as simply as you can get it, and as cost-effectively as you can get it. There is a great opportunity for the industry if we get this right.”

By Stephanie Jordan

The Instant Messaging Challenge in the Businesses.

2011-01-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

One of the common threads in the organizations that I’ve worked with in the last decade or so is a near ubiquitous use of IM, usually AOL’s IM client. Regardless of the publisher, the entire staff seemed to be on AIM, and it proved to be a useful means of asking a quick question or sending out an urgent message. IM was also useful to figure out if someone was in the office before you spent a couple of hours trying to track them down on the phone.

The value of instant messaging isn’t lost on corporations of all sizes, but in many companies you can’t just download a copy of Skype, AIM, Yahoo IM and start using it. Even assuming you have the ability to install software on your computer or smartphone, you have to do it in a way that meets the approval of the IT department. That approval should only come if your instant messaging doesn’t create a security or compliance hole. Chances are, if it’s a widely available free IM client, it does.

Fortunately for the companies that need them, there are corporate versions of IM clients. One of the best known is Microsoft’s Office Communicator. But Communicator shares a problem with most of the other corporate IM solutions – it requires a specific environment to work, in this case, Microsoft Windows. This may be fine if every device on your network is a Windows device, but what happens if you have an iPhone or a BlackBerry? Basically, you’re out of luck, just as you are if you’re using Linux or a Mac.

What many enterprises need in reality is a means of instant messaging that’s secure, auditable, compliant and that works on nearly any platform out there. I finally found such an IM client when a friend sent me a press release telling about Palringo. At first look, it seemed almost too good to be true. The software is available for the top three desktop operating systems, as well as for every mobile phone out there. It doesn’t even require a smartphone – something as simple as a Motorola RAZR with Java will run the client.

While Palringo isn’t the slickest interface in the world, it does connect with other users on the same Palringo network, as well as with other IM systems including AIM, MSN, Google and Yahoo, ICQ and a number of others. There’s more than just text messaging here. You can also send photos and use your phone (or computer) like a walkie-talkie.

Implementing a push-to-talk service on devices and networks that don’t support it took some doing. Palringo accomplished it by having you press a button and then recording your voice. Once you release the button, your recorded voice is sent to the person on the other end. While there is some latency involved, as you’d imagine, it works well, and it’s much better than not having a solution, which is the choice for many smartphone users.

The enterprise version of Palringo lets you archive messages for use in compliance monitoring and e-discovery. The Palringo client will even archive messages that are passed between it and non-Palringo messaging systems, so if you use the client to chat with someone using AIM, the conversation is stored. As you’d expect, the communications within Palringo are encrypted so attempts to intercept voice, text or photo messages won’t work. There’s a free version of the Palringo client for virtually any known platform on the Palringo website. The enterprise version costs money, but it does more, and it’s completely customizable.

While the Palringo software doesn’t support video, it’s still the best enterprise-class instant messaging I’ve run across. The fact that it’s platform-independent provides the kind of flexibility that companies have needed, but haven’t found until now.

Source:Enterprise Applications | Blog Post | Wayne Rash

Is Your Instant Messenger Secure?

2011-01-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

As data security becomes more and more necessary, many businesses are realizing that instant messenger security is no longer an option. Small businesses are even shifting to secure instant messaging as prices are dropping dramatically.

Old way: Public IM

Many businesses still use free, public instant messengers like ICQ, Skype, AOL IM for day-to-day communications. This makes sense: employees are already familiar with the technology and interface, and it's hard to beat a free service.

But employees often spend time chatting with friends and family, so companies suffer from productivity losses in this scenario.

What about the security risks? Hackers can easily send files containing viruses, impersonate employees, or just ask for any data. This is becoming more and more common as attackers are getting smarter about what companies use what technologies for communication.

New way: enterprise instant messaging

Companies large and small are now reaching for business instant messaging tools that they can control. And costs are plummeting: for example, one award winning enterprise instant messenger is just a few dollars per employee per month (http//:brosix.com).

These tools provide considerable instant messenger security by simply limiting who employees can talk to and by scanning files that have been transferred for viruses.

Conclusion

With PCI compliance quickly becoming more and more of an issue, companies are looking at more than how software handles data; but also how
Instant messenger
employees handle data as well. Instant messenger security is more of an issue than even now that companies rely on this technology for day-to-day communication.

With inexpensive easy-to-implement solutions available, small and large businesses are reaching for enterprise solutions for instant messenger security.

By: Justyn Hornor

Useful Tips for AIM Messenger

2011-01-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

1. AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) is an IM (Instant Messaging) client that people the world over use to communicate with friends, family and colleagues. If you've used this IM for a length of time, you have likely learned a few tips and tricks that have helped you get the most out of the AIM service. However, there may be a few things you missed that you'll be glad to learn.

Never Appear Idle Again

2. If you would like never to be listed as idle, right-click on the AIM icon in your system tray and click "Preferences." Select "Privacy" and uncheck the box that says "...how long I've been idle." This allows you to be seen by others as online always, and never idle.

Monitor Log On/Log Off Times
3. If you want to know when a buddy is logging on and logging off, but do not have time to be at your computer, you can activate a timestamp that will give you the exact times that buddy logged on and off. To do so, right-click on the AIM icon in your system tray and select "Preferences." Select "IM/Chat" and check the box that says "Always view timestamp." On your buddy list, double-click the name of the buddy you want to monitor. This will open an instant messaging window. Minimize the window and go about your business. When you come back to your computer later, you will see the times your buddy logged on and off.

Eliminate 1024 Character Limitation
4. AIM limits instant messages to 1024 characters. If you want to send anything longer, you must send a string of messages, each no more than 1024 characters. To eliminate this problem, you must direct connect to your buddy. To do so, click the "Connect to Send IM" icon in the toolbar of the IM window. When you are directly connected, there is no longer a 1024 character limit.

By David Paige, eHow Contributor

Integrate Live LAN Chat Into Your CRM

2010-12-22T22:54:00.001-08:00

ISL Online (http://www.islonline.com) has recently presented ISL Pronto 2.0. The last version of enterprise instant messaging software for online customer service, and web support, now allows integration with your existing CRM system by using the Live LAN Chat API.

The whole list of improvements are available at ISL Online website where you can also download the latest version of ISL Pronto, an powerful internet communication tool, that is perfect for a helpdesk service.

ISL Pronto creates a link between a company's personnel, and website visitors, enabling the company to promptly answer customers' sales inquiries, and support requests online, or initiate a desktop sharing session. ISL Pronto can also be used as an enterprise instant messaging tool which allows real-time communication among employees within the company, making the communication flow faster, and more efficient than through emails.

ISL Pronto 2.0 is free for existing ISL Online users.

About ISL Online
http://www.islonline.com has been supplying easy-to-use, on-demand business software for remote desktop support and access, web meetings and instant live chats since 2003 to over 80,000 business users worldwide. The products are bundled together in an 'All in One' pack to offer anyone - from small, midsized, and big businesses, to individuals - a new, easier and secure way to access PCs, for collaboration with clients, partners and employees in real time.

Being Secure in using Instant Messaging on Your PC

2010-11-24T03:06:00.000-08:00

Real time internet-based messaging software has been around for about ten years now and its usage is now pretty wide. These kinds of programs give you the illusion of a customized chat server attached to your PC but, in reality, the majority of them are actually just scripted add-ons or additions to email servers. They support not only instant message transfer but a host of favorites and contact functions to keep in contact with friends. Like email, these automated message systems support an instantaneous transfer of a message – or text response – just like chat. However, there is a growing awareness that unlike a chat server that resides in the data center of a provider, an email provider-driven instant messaging system allows for a much greater exposure to cyber crime and unauthorized access to your PC.

Many of the latest versions of the IMS craze allow the transfer of data files and scripted audio and video. However, these systems are now the subject of growing security breaches and virus transfer. When you open a file that is transferred in this manner it is the same as opening an attached file on an email message from someone you do not know. This may include a downloaded file with an attached virus. This can facilitate the download and installation of a virus onto your PC. Because of this growing concern it is now advisable to consider restricted access to these instant message systems. Here are the things you should do to protect yourself from the security breaches that are being sustained now.

Always be sure to communicate with a potential instant message contact first by regular email or other communication mediums. This will prevent the initiation of a series of exchanges the objective of which is to get you to download a graphic file of her beautiful face. Secondly, never open or allow the transmission of any file, attachment, graphic or picture record via instant messaging as a result of an I-message conversation. Forcing yourself to take the steps necessary to validate the security of a data source before accepting any file, record, or attachment on a message from it is just smart.

Next, never download and install any software that is described – especially by unknown email or instant message – as being from a hot new dating or singles site. These are normally infected with viruses. Finally, as a follow-on from the previous point, never accept any request from any instant message when on a music, porn or video site. These are also highly suspect these days.

One of the other things you can do to minimize your exposure to cyber crime involving instant messaging is to locate and purchase a top registry software package that cleanses your registry of bogus records automatically. They also delete instant message-created DLLs and do other registry fix functions that accomplish any needed Registry Repair.

LAN Messenger Is LAN IM Communication Tool

2010-11-01T02:37:00.000-07:00

LAN Messenger, a instant LAN messaging software for home or office users, can be very useful for your work, One LAN instant messenger enables you to communicate with other users connected across the same LAN, allows you to chat with one or more users, or to send an alert message that will show as a small pop-up window on the users desktop. some Land messenger includes many features like auto-reply text, file transfers, multi-user chat, online status, alert messages to all users and more.

This article will help you find one land messenger for your business. These freeware or sharewares combine ease-of-use, power and flexibility.

Bopup Messenger, it is from blabsoft, this instant messenger enables you to communicate with other users connected across the same LAN. It is compatible with standard messengers like WinPopup and Net Send. It has extended message support, scans users and computers on a local network, and supports 10 languages. It includes an ignore list, file transfer, message logging, command line support and group support.

Softros LAN Messenger is another network messenger for your company office with support for file transfers, message broadcasting and encrypted conversations. It does not require a server or Internet connection and will automatically detect any clients that are currently connected to the network. Other features include group messages, message history log, sound notifications, away/busy status and more. Softros LAN Messenger is easy-to-use and can be used immediately without any further configuration.

Bopup Messeng
Network Messaging Shareware
er, This instant messenger enables you to communicate with other users connected across the same LAN. It is compatible with standard messengers like WinPopup and Net Send. It has extended message support, scans users and computers on a local network, and supports 10 languages. It includes an ignore list, file transfer, message logging, command line support and group support.

PcMessenger is an easy to use instant messaging software for office communication. It does not require a server or an internet connection and is easy to install. Required .Net Framework 2.0 is included in Setup. Utilizes a small memory footprint; 3,000K. Includes features such as Group messaging, User defined Presets for fast response, Spell Check, Attachment option, capability to insert, cut and paste graphic images and much more.

All these software are easy to setup and does not require a dedicated server or Internet connection. The client is feature rich with chat, notification, conferencing, and file transfer. One business IM system designed for your local area network can help you more.

By: Robert Snoog

Instant Messaging Use To Grow In 2010, Study Says.

2010-10-28T23:42:00.000-07:00

In 2010 worldwide instant messaging accounts will total 2.3 billion and will grow to 3.4 billion by 2014, according to the latest study by The Radicati Group Inc.

Increasingly IM services go beyond simple text-based messaging and offer other features such as voice chat, video chat, social network connectivity and support for mobile devices.

IM is defined as real-time text messaging transmitted through a network between two or more users. The IM market is comprised of products or services that either facilitate IM conversations or secure and manage its usage.

The study divides the market into four segments: Public IM, Enterprise IM, IM Management and Security and IM Aggregators.

An in-depth analysis of the Instant Messaging market, including:

* Installed Base and Revenue Market Share by Vendor, Four-Year Forecasts, and Breakouts by Region and Business Size.

* The Study Covers Four Key Market Segments:
o Public IM
o Enterprise IM
o IM Management & Security
o IM Aggregators

* Statistics on Worldwide IM Accounts, IM Traffic, and Consumer vs. Corporate IM users.

* An in depth analysis of key market players: AOL, Bloomberg, Cisco, eBuddy, Facebook, FaceTime, Fring, Google, Global Relay, ICQ, IBM, Meebo, Microsoft, MySpace, Novell, Skype, Symantec, Tencent, Quest Software, and Yahoo!.

S-IMCO, Inc. Presents Secure Messaging Solution S-IMessenger

2010-10-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

The latest version of Secure IM features encrypted message history, secure file-transfer and a host of powerful configuration options. With these and S-IMessenger's other great features, real-time communication has never been easier. Make sure you try it free today.

Requirements

* Pentium || - 300Mhz
* 128 MB RAM (256 recommended)
* 10 MB hard disk space
* Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista (beta)

Security
With S-IMessenger you can be sure that all your conversations are secure. S-IMessenger is using TLSV1 , SSLV3, SSLV2 (not recommended) protocols. For all the TLS/SSL communication, S-IMessenger uses the industry standard tool-kit OpenSSL.

Besides all the communication that takes place between the client & the server being secure, S-IMessenger uses Blowfish encryption algorithm to encrypt anything that is stored locally, which is great for people instant messaging on o2 mobile broadband or any laptop whilst working away from home or the office. So all the history files and sensitive user-data is encrypted before storing them locally.

Presence
Allowing the user to login as Appearing Offline, automatically updating the status according to user activity, S-IMessenger helps the user effectively manage his or her presence.

Messaging
S-IMessenger allows multi user private or public chat sessions. With private chat-session the users can only join if invited & while public chat-sessions are open to all. S-IMessenger supports secure file transfer, user-avatar during single or multi-user chat-sessions.

* Single-user chat-session with avatar support.
* Multi-user chat-session with avatar support.
* Secure file transfer.
* Chat session history support.
* Chat-session message print support.

Ease of Use
S-IMessenger provides you with an easy to operate user interface. With features like...

* In place editing of personal messages.
* Built-in search & add-contact dialog box.
* New Message & File Transfer information tip.
* Contact card containing all the user contact information.
* Display with embedded search of user's current playing song.

Send Messages, Share Files With LAN Users Using Squiggle LAN Messenger

2010-09-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

Setting up a LAN messaging is very easy using a Router but the problem is setting up for sharing files and folders across the users on the LAN, in case you are looking for simple alternative software then you can try Squiggle which is a free LAN messenger that does not require a server and can run off a USB Drive. Squiggle has a very simple interface, and also has features very similar to any IM client, users can also set status messages.

Squiggle

Also Checkout

* KouChat – A JAVA based LAN Chat Client.
* CC File Transfer – Setup a LAN File Sharing Server

Key Features:

* Server-less LAN chat
* Group chat
* File Transfer
* Spell Check
* Emoticons
* Display message
* Tray popups for online/offline users.

There are 3 main actions that users can perform

* Send a instant message
* Send a broadcast message to all users
* Send ie. Share files with users on the LAN

Just enter a user name of your choice to identify yourself on the LAN and next you can find all the users on the LAN in the friends list.Your status can also be set to Online, Busy, Offline, Away, or Be Right Back.To share a file with a user on the LAN, select “Send a File” under “Action” Menu and next select the user and next browse and select the file that you would like to share with our friends.

Squiggle being a portable app is light and leaves no tracks and makes it easy start and conduct a LAN Chat.

So, what about Skype security?

2010-09-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

With the wide selection of PC users using Skype, many wonder just how secure this new means of instant messaging is. Can other people read the conversations that are held through the instant messaging system in Skype? What about phone calls, can they be recorded, can they be heard by 3rd parties? Since Skype is used by a lot of organizations, wondering is Skype secure is a very practical question for many.
Skype is for the most part secure. All conversations whether voice, video or instant messaging are encrypted with strong encryption algorithms. This makes the calls private and secure. That being said, there can be ways that these conversations can be unprotected. One way can be if one of the participants in the conversation is using Skype software that has been modified, or the calls are being routed thru servers and other phone networks. Once these elements are brought into play, the security can be breached and it is possible that a conversation can become unsecure.
Skype also adds protection to their system, by making sure that the software one needs to download is free of adware, malware and spyware. This means that nothing that is downloaded with the software will produce intrusive advertisements, nothing will log ones activities and there should be no programs that will cause problems to ones computer. It still is possible that a person or business could have downloaded some of these troublesome programs through another source, that is why it is recommended that one use an antivirus program on a regular basis and keep it up to date.

Skype strives to keep its customer’s data secure. They do, however, have to cooperate with local law enforcement. When the need arises, Skype will do what they can legally to provide assistance to a law enforcement agency that requests such information. They do not disclose personal or other information unless they have an authorized lawful request in compliance with local laws. Even though the main company is located in Luxembourg, they have local partners, operators or companies that provide personal data, communications and other such services. This makes the local laws applicable in most cases.

Unofficial Chat Client of Yahoo IM: YahElite.

2010-09-20T02:39:00.000-07:00

YahElite (an acronym from Yahoo Elite) is most popular unofficial instant messaging client of Yahoo Messenger. It’s because YahElite messenger offers you many goodness like stability, security, tool, unbootable, and no advertisement.

Stability and speed is the plus point when you connect to the chat room or when you login to the server of Yahoo Messenger. It’s also have a good protection again spam, bots and other virus activities.

This Secure Instant Messenger can make you feel save when you doing you business Instant Message such as for Deal with your client or your partner And of course YahElite have no advertisement on it’s. YahElite is free ware software. Therefore you can download and use Yahoo Elite chat client with a free payment or registration.

Here are some features of YahElite :

* Stability and speed when we connect to the chat room or when we login to the server of yahoo messenger.
* Have a good protection again spam, bots and other harmful activities
* Unbootable
* Webcam
* You can also use a sock proxy or proxy to connect to yahoo server
* Use your microphone and talk via voice chat
* Tattoo is available too.
* You can make an alternating font easier and better
* Secure Instant Messenger
* YahElite have no advertisement
* Ability to view full of emoticons,
* Ignore lists
* Join chat room
* Auto boot ID detection.

Secure instant messaging solution for business: Banckle Enterprise IM

2010-08-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Banckle Enterprise IM is a completely secure business collaboration solution for video chat, instant messaging, video call and sharing whiteboard with your team members anytime, anywhere. It is a multi protocol chat server supporting both XMPP & RTMP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Aug 15, 2010 – Banckle Enterprise IM is a completely secure business collaboration solution for video chat, instant messaging, video call and sharing whiteboard with your team members anytime, anywhere. Not only all chats are transmitted securely using SSL but also are stored securely in your account for future retrieval. Banckle Enterprise IM is a high performance multi protocol chat server supporting both XMPP and RTMP. No installation is required; you just need a browser on any platform to take your IM always with you.

More about Banckle Enterprise IM

- Banckle Enterprise IM Homepage: http://banckle.com/products/enterprise-im/
- Pricing Information: http://banckle.com/action/pricing?action=index
- Banckle Enterprise IM Forum: http://banckle.com/forums/forums/show/19.page
- Sign up for a free 30-days trial of Banckle Enterprise IM: http://banckle.com/action/signup

Contact Banckle

Suite 163, 79 Longueville Road
Lane Cove, NSW, 2066
Australia
Web: http://banckle.com

# # #

Banckle provides on-demand; SaaS based solutions for unified collaboration that cover all aspects of your business collaboration needs: file sharing & sync, live chat, enterprise IM, group chat, online meeting, remote access, site search and email.

Teamtalk: Corporate Instant Messaging Software with Remote Desktop & File Sharing

2010-08-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

Tenmiles Corporation has released Teamtalk, a simple and secure corporate Instant Messaging (IM) software that makes it safe and easy for teams to work together on projects or production work.

Chennai, India (PRWeb) August 4, 2010 -- Teamtalk is a corporate IM tool that replaces your typical LAN Messenger and can be fully operational in minutes. Without the security problems found in many popular consumer IM systems, Teamtalk lets business people chat, hold conferences, share images and files, and do web demos.

Teamtalk is delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS). Windows and Macintosh users install a desktop client to communicate with other team members. Teamtalk uses SSL encryption, the same as banks, for all of the communications and file transfers that it handles. Connections to the server are SSL-protected, and P2P channels are encrypted. Once the team's administrator has created a list of Teamtalk participants, all team members can create direct one-to-one instant messages, hold group conferences, and send selective or group-wide broadcast messages. The software lets you define groups of people with whom you communicate frequently, so you can start a conference or broadcast a message with a single click.

While Teamtalk can be used by project and management teams of all types, the software is especially designed for computer and high-tech companies. Simply drag and drop files or folders to send them directly and securely to teammates. It's easy to share desktop images and application windows with others. With a single click, you can perform a screen capture that you can send to an individual or to the team. Teamtalk's code syntax highlighting feature lets you paste code snippets that are highlighted automatically. You can even give a teammate permission to remotely control your computer.

Teamtalk is truly cross-platform, with full support for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, as well as Macintosh computers using Mac OS X 10.5 and above. Because Teamtalk is an SaaS solution, it is available to all team members with an Internet connection, from across town or across the world.

Up to ten people can use all of Teamtalk's features for $20(US) per month. Per-person prices are even lower for larger groups, with a 100-person license costing $120 per month. Teams of five or fewer people can use Teamtalk without charge.

About Tenmiles Corporation:

Since 2000, Tenmiles Corporation has been creating and marketing business productivity software. In addition to Teamtalk, the company also offers HelpDesk Pilot, a web-based customer support helpdesk and ticketing application that makes it easy to organize, collaborate, and manage your organization's support tickets; DoAttend, an online event registration service that lets you create, publish, and promote your event, at no charge; Invoicing, an online platform that lets entrepreneurs create and deliver stylish invoices; Screenswift, a program that creates professional, installable Flash screensavers from any Flash media.

Citron Instant Messenger 2.5.0.15 Beta

2010-08-04T03:36:00.000-07:00

Jabber, Google talk, LiveJournal, AIM, ICQ in one cute and simple program!

The Citron Instant Messenger software was developed to a smart, easy and attractive tool to do things you are so used to do.

All your old contacts and features in a new professional and stylish solution. We has thought more for you to think less, So, just try and forget about annoying applications.

Requirements:

· Microsoft .NET 2.0

What's New in This Release:

· Display messages was completly redesigned. Now here is html with all its features.
· History search and filter redesigned and much improved.
· Animated standard emoticons added with ability to change emoticons pack.
· Balloon tip on incoming message added.
· Movable profile folder.

Children’s Instant Messaging Safety. Chat software controller.

2010-07-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

LAN Chat software Controller is a tool developed to give you access to take control your children’s instant messaging conversations by using powerful detection methods that will effectively control all popular instant messengers.

Chat controller work with all most wide used IMs such as AOL Instant Messenger, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and more.

Chat controller gives you an ability to set up rules when chatting is not allowed for your children. For example, you can set up a rules so that your child cannot chat on Yahoo Messenger each night from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM – while you still allowing other daughter to chat in that time.

It’s also have Instant Messenger Audit tool which scans your computer for instant messengers shown in list to the right that will tell you what instant messaging programs are installed and where are located.

Some Key Features of Chat Controller :

* Chat Controller is secure – runs as a Windows Service and only administrator have access to this.
* IM Audit tool scans your computer for all popular IM programs
* Can create rules when chatting is not allowed
* You can have different and multiple rules for each user of the computer
* Automatically sincronize your computer clock with the atomic clock.
* Chat Controller is free for non-commercial use.

Network messaging software: MessengerLAN

2010-07-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

MessengerLAN is an IM program for local networks, from small home networks to big corporate LANs.
Based on peer-to-peer (or P2P) technology, it enables users to send and receive secure instant messages among office coworkers. No dedicated server or Internet connection is required. Easily send, receive and reply messages. Instantly and discretely answer to a customer, on the phone or in person. Fully customizable: sounds, preset messages, message log. Users, Groups, Broadcast: send a message to a user, a set of users or to all online users. It will run instantly after installing on all the network computers.
# No dedicated server or Internet connection is required.
# very easy to install and very simple to use. It does not require computer knowledge
# user-friendly interface
# It will run instantly after installing on all the network computers.
# No configuration or maintenance required (works immediately after installation)
# Affordable ($7.90* per user). No hidden costs.
# Fast & Efficient: Communication is quick, silent (if you disable sounds) and confidential. A single click can send a complete message.
# Discrete: When not in use, MessengerLAN is displayed as an icon in the system tray. An optional notification sound can be played as well.

LAN Chat Application for local networks – xMessenger

2010-07-19T03:20:00.000-07:00

xMessenger is an instant messaging tool that allows you to send messages to another computer who has started the xMessenger server (possibly using stealth mode in the background).

Run xMessenger server on the target computer. What you have to know is by entering the IP address and the connection is through TCP ( port 11112 by default). Be sure that TCP port is open.

You can send messages in message box or in system tray. You also can set up some elements such as priority, icon, and give the right of reply.

Biggest Three Instant Messengers Of The World.

2010-06-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Depending on who you ask, the biggest 3 instant messengers are going to be different. For each PC user who uses an IM there is another one who will use something different, and enjoy it more, declare that it works better and is more secure.

The top notch and most often used messenger will of course be the MSN messenger which ships with Windows operating systems. While this version of the instant messenger service is not necessarily the best, it is the most widely used version of any instant messenger simply, we believe, because it is included with new versions of Windows operating systems.

Secondary to MSN messenger is Skype, the messenger which also permits telephone calls and offers discounted rates to callers in multiple countries. Many people are in actuality not aware that Skype permits instant messaging, but do use the service for telephone calls, which does add them to the count of total users.

Although AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM as it is called now, was once the largest as well as internet service provider in the country, it has lost ground significantly, in part due to the cheaper and better internet services that are currently on the market. As it lost ground as an ISP, the messenger too began to lose steam. One of three people say that they have AIM installed on their PC but do not use the instant messaging client.

For sheer numbers, the top three currently in use are MSN, Skype, and AIM instant Messengers. The three are used by myriad millions of users world wide.

Other clients which claim a share are:
ICQ, the first internet wide messenger, bought out several years ago. Pidgin, the open source instant messenger which is multi-protocol.

About Instant Messaging Security

2010-06-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

Controlling IM Security Risks

IM usage in business – whether sanctioned or not - is growing rapidly. IM and other real-time communications are network-enabled applications that often operate outside the control of the corporate IT department. While they offer business value, these not-so-secure channels are increasingly becoming the vectors of propagation for malicious applications and code leaving IT to address how to enable business productivity from IM while also controlling risk.

IM security risk falls into three main categories:

* Inbound threats
IM creates new vectors for the distribution of malware (viruses, worms, spyware, rootkits, and more) and SpIM (Spam over IM) which can cause a major drain on productivity and resources. Read about security incidents involving the use of chat, IM and P2P networks and learn more about malware and spyware prevention.
* Outbound threats
IM opens new 'holes' through which information can leak or be leaked, leading to user privacy concerns and the potential loss of intellectual property
* Non-compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements
IM creates invisible communications channels that operate below the radar of conventional information security measures, exposing the organization to regulatory compliance breaches. Read more about IM compliance and e-Discovery.

Technical Challenges of IM Security

Real-time communication and Web 2.0 applications are largely invisible to existing information security infrastructure such as firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection devices, and proxies because they are specifically designed to evade detection and provide ubiquitous access. Existing security measures do not adequately address the protocols and behaviors used by these applications.
Blocking IM is no longer an option:

* IM clients use port crawling - the ability to exploit any open port on the firewall - so blocking the 'usual' port for the particular application doesn't work.
* Every IM network provider has its own unique set of IP addresses to which clients can connect. These IP addresses change frequently or at random without notice, so firewalls and proxies cannot apply blocking policies using the typical black list of IP addresses.
* IM protocols are proprietary and constantly evolving to deliver new and more advanced features to users; firewalls and proxies do not evolve at this pace, nor do IT organizations want to be constantly updating protocol signatures on the firewall.
* The synchronous nature of real-time connections is much different from the asynchronous web browsing and email traffic; firewalls and proxies were not designed to inspect and analyze real-time communication traffic, so network performance suffers.

Beyond the technical considerations, blocking IM will also result in unhappy employees who will attempt to bypass controls, which may cause more problems than it solves.
The Leader in IM Security

Ranked #1 in IM market share by IDC for five consecutive years, FaceTime is the acknowledged leader in IM security and compliance management with more than five million seats under management, and an industry-spanning customer list that includes ten of the top ten US banks. FaceTime provides the de facto IM, UC and Web application security solutions that prevent malware and secure IM use, providing full visibility and granular control for all major real-time and Unified Communications applications:

* Public IM Networks (AIM, Yahoo, MSN, GoogleTalk, Skype, and more than 200 other applications)
* Unified Communications platforms (Microsoft OCS, Microsoft LCS, IBM Lotus Sametime, Antepo, Jabber, Parlano MindAlign)
* Professional Community Networks (Bloomberg, Communicator Inc., Reuters, PivotSolutions, YellowJacket)
* Web Conferencing (WebEx, Live Meeting)

FaceTime offers comprehensive IM security:

* Protection against inbound threats from viruses, worms, spyware, SpIM, and more by monitoring and managing real-time communication, Unified Communications and Web application channels
* Prevention information leakage through content filtering, logging and archiving for all text conversations and file attachment content
* Ensuring compliance through TrueCompliance™ strict policy enforcement and user/group level access controls

By integrating seamlessly with existing IT and information security infrastructure such as Active Directory, storage systems and anti-virus, FaceTime also enables maximum return on your existing technology investments.

Learn more about Vantage, the de facto platform for granular security, policy controls and compliance features for real time and unified communications (UC) – providing management for the widest variety of UC and real time communications platforms; including Microsoft OCS and IBM Lotus Sametime, public instant messaging platforms such as Windows Live and Skype, web conferencing and industry focused networks like Reuters, Bloomberg and YellowJacket.

Learn more about Unified Security Gateway, the only Secure Web Gateway to combine content monitoring, management and security of Web 2.0 applications, such as social networks, instant messaging and Unified Communications, with URL filtering, anti-malware and Web anti-virus protection.

Instant Messaging Solutions from NaviSite

2010-05-17T00:29:00.000-07:00

In today’s highly competitive companies era, exchanging information in fast and safe manner has been the one of the main keys for every business. Though e-mail communication is the general source of communication but messaging and collaboration tools (Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, Lotus Domino etc.) are also growing very fast. Enterprises’ dependence has increased by leaps and bound on instant messaging communication tools. Gradually, they are realizing the real potential of messaging solutions and how they can be used in innovative ways to save time and money in routine tasks.

Many organizations operate with enterprise messaging applications internally and administer themselves. This puts lots of burden on their IT resources and creates collaboration problems. So, it is always advantageous to choose Managed Messaging service. Delivering managed messaging solution with hosted messaging provider offers more control and better scalability. Here go the top 5 reasons to choose Hosted Messaging service over internally managed messaging service:

1. Featured-packed Solution: Managed Messaging allows SMBs to access a featured-packed enterprise-level messaging with calendaring, scheduling, contact management, mobile device synchronization, and basic e-mail hosting services. They can also get the latest collaboration technologies. You can add or upgrade your messaging solutions as and when you desire

2. Free Resources: Many organizations operate with enterprise messaging applications internally and administer themselves. This puts lots of burden on their IT resources and creates collaboration problems. So, it is always advantageous to choose Managed Messaging service as it will free your internal resources and let you do what you do best.

3. Improve business alignment: With managed messaging, you can pick the solutions which align with your business, and then customize those applications to fit your specific needs. You don’t need the high-tech infrastructure to maintain the messaging solutions and waste time in taking backups. The managed messaging service provider would do all this and much more that includes server maintenance, and the other housekeeping chores. This would save you lots of time, money and energy by choosing exactly what you need.

4. Reduce Total Cost of Ownership: An organization can expand the use of messaging without spending too much on their hardware and skills resources. Most of managed messaging service providers typically charge a monthly fee (often based on the number of mailboxes being provided), making costs predictable and fairly constant. With managed hosting, there are no upfront costs; you just pay a single, fixed rate.

5. Increase visibility and Control: Managed messaging provides you more control and visibility to your messaging applications. Now you can oversee and measure how your messaging applications environment is functioning, and make changes as you need them.

Hosted Messaging continues to be a technology with a high potential for growth and innovation. Messaging applications are used as a marketing vehicle by the companies. Among many messaging service providers, you can trust NaviSite as your partner for reliable e-mail hosting with expertise in two key industry-leading messaging platforms – Microsoft and IBM.

Start leveraging the Managed Messaging and Collaboration service and give an upstart to your business communication strategy.

IMiN Lite and IMiN Communicator: New Secure IM Tools.

2010-05-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

Safety and IM Software.

Both IMiN Lite and IMiN Communicator are secure IM systems developed to get communication faster, while reducing your company's exposure to outside vulnerabilities. Unlike public messengers and chat applications (like Skype, Yahoo, ICQ, AOL IM), IMiN software is planned to operate behind your company's firewall which keeps public unknown guests out, and spam and IM based threats off of your computers.

IM security danger falls into 3 main themes:
• Inbound instant messaging vulnerabilities - web-based Instant Messaging programs create new opportunities for the distribution of malware (viruses, worms, spyware, rootkits, and more) and Spam which can cause a major drain on productivity and resources.
• Outbound instant messaging attacks - IM opens new 'holes' through which information can leak or be leaked, leading to user privacy concerns and the potential loss of intellectual property.
• Non-compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements - Most IM programs create invisible communications channels that operate below the radar of conventional information security measures, exposing the organization to regulatory compliance breaches and non-SOX compliant behavior.

Centralized and Searchable Secure Instant Messaging History
Accurate history, equals accountability. Need to access that conversation from 3 weeks ago? No problem. How about 3 years ago? No problem still. Every instant message conversation on IMiN is recorded on the server, and is accessible to any user from any location. We even made IMiN SOX compliant in case of internal audits. Don't want everyone to have search capabilities? No problem, lock this feature down to only the chosen few.

IMJack: Secure Instant Messenger for Business

2010-05-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

IMJack by Amteus company offers businesses with secure instant messaging environment. It is designed in modern style for any size of businesses, increasing productivity and saving working time. Amteus company setups a standalone, secure IM server where no viruses, no spam and no hackers, and no unauthorised users can gain access. Give the software to all your business contacts creating your own private community where all communication travels in real-time from PC to PC.

Revolutionise The Way Your Business Communicates

IMJack from Amteus creates a private business community that allows every member of your organisation, including suppliers and customers, to communicate and collaborate within your own secure environment. You have full control over your business communications and who you invite into your community, eliminating the possibility of any employee misuse. This ultimately increases the productivity, efficiency, security and profit of your entire organisation.
90 Day Money-Back Guarantee

We guarantee that IMJack from Amteus will increase the productivity of your entire organisation, maximise the efficiency of your employees and improve customer retention. In fact, we are so confident that we can save your business time and money, that from the day you sign your order, if at any time during the first 90 days you are not completely satisfied, we will give you your money back.

Your Head Office

Creating your private business community starts at the heart of your organisation. We install a stand-alone server that connects all the members of your community and ensures your communication stays private and secure. The implementation of both the Amteus server and software on to all your employees' PCs takes no time at all and very little involvment from your IT department. This process is dealt with by our efficient installation team without any interference with your existing IT infrastructure.

Your Remote Offices

Add your remote offices to your business community to communicate and collaborate efficiently with all your employees wherever they are in the world. Send files of any size, make free phone-calls globally and see in an instant who is available before wasting any time trying to make contact.

Your Customers & Suppliers

Give all your customers and suppliers the software and a USB handset to create a direct private link to your business. This value-added service helps to increase customer retention offering free phone-calls between you and your clients. Improve your supply-chain efficiency with instant document transfer of any size and an open communication channel between you and your suppliers.

How to Make Instant Messaging Secure?

2010-04-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

Do you often talk a lot of time with IM friends, family and colleagues ? Did you know that your chat sessions can be hacked easily or seen by someone other than the person you are chatting with? A lot of people assume that their chat session is secure and encrypted, but this is not true.

It’s even easier for someone to see what you’re chatting about if you are using IM at cyber café, work area or on an open network. Tools like MSN-sniffer can easily display MSN chat text for other users connected to the same network, and there are many others for different chat programs. Even if you are chatting from home, there is a chance that someone could be snooping on your chat sessions. Thankfully, it is pretty easy to protect your chats from prying eyes, keep reading to learn how.

If you want to make sure the only person who sees your chat text is the person you are chatting with you should look for an option in your chat program to turn on encryption. Most often, this will be in the settings menu labeled, ‘Encrypt chat session’. This may sound very technical but believe me, it’s not. Nowadays most IM programs include some form of chat session encryption that can be turned on with a few mouse clicks.

But what if your favorite IM client still doesn’t support encryption? Don’t worry! There are plenty of free programs to encrypt your instant messaging sessions.

Examples of free chat encryption software include:

BitDefender chat encryption: BitDefender chat encryption software keeps your instant messages safe from hacking through a simple and automatic encryption process. In order to use BitDefender you’ll need to make sure that the person you are chatting with has also installed BitDefender. BitDefender chat encryption works on Yahoo messenger and MSN messenger.

Features:

* When conversation is initiated, BitDefender starts the encryption process automatically.
* Top level encryption: BitDefender makes sure that your contact is the only one who can read the messages.
* BitDefender is free to download.

Visit BitDefender site for more information and to download the tool.

Simp Lite: Simp Lite is another free alternative to encrypt your chat session. Simp Lite is free version of the Simp product line. Simp Lite supports to 4 different messenger protocols including; Yahoo messenger, MSN, ICQ/AOL messenger (AIM) and Jabber/Google talk.

The limitation of Simp Lite is that you have to use separate software with each IM client. So if you want to use Simp lite with Yahoo Messenger you have to use Simp Lite for Yahoo Messenger. Likewise you would need the correct version for each of the other supported chat programs. Additionally, only one of these versions may be running at a time so if you chat on multiple networks you may want to look at a paid version of Simp.

Features:

* Can handle encrypted and unencrypted chat
* Available for 4 different Instant Messaging protocols.
* Encrypt conversation using state-of-the-art technology.

Please visit Simp Lite site for more information or download Simp Lite software for your chat program from the following links:

* Simp Lite for Yahoo messenger
* Simp lite for MSN messenger
* Simp lite for ICQ/AIM messenger
* Simp lite for Jabber/Google talk

IMCrypto: IMCrypto is a free application which encrypts your chat session and lets you establish secure instant messenger connections by using a private and public key. In order to use IMCrypto, the person you are chatting with will also need to install it.

How it works:

1. Launch IMCrypto.
2. Launch your instant messenger.
3. Choose the person in your contact list that you want to communicate securely with and double-click to start conversation. Note: IMCrypto must be installed on both sides to provide secure conversation.
4. On the left side of the chat window you will see the IMCrypto Toolbar.
5. Click on “Quick Start” button.
6. The person you want to chat with will receive a message with the following prompt: “This contact wants to establish IMCrypto secure conversation with you. Accept?” He should click “Yes”.
7. Automatic public key exchange occurs and the contact is stored into IMCrypto contacts database which can be accessed from the IMCrypto Control Center.
8. Now your messages are encrypted and the conversation is secure.

Freo Messenger is an all-in-one utility for Web messaging.

2010-04-12T02:58:00.000-07:00

Freo Messenger is a multi-mode IM that can be run in Windows OS whose support includes AIM, ICQ, IRC, MSN and Jabber; it also allows you to make use of other popular instant messaging protocols including Gadu-Gadu, Netsend, Skype, Yahoo.

If you're trying to find the most user-friendly instant messenger client to talk instantly in real-time using the Internet connection, Freo is one of the best options available - it's totally free and clean Windows multi-capable instant messenger client.

Download it for free and you will be able to chat with friends, make free voice calls, share a webcam, listen to online radio station and share files.

Freo Messenger stores a plethora of great features (all you would expect from an IM program like chat, photo sharing, custom skins and chat transcript archives.) designed to create an enjoyable communication experience - a wonderful way to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues.

The program comes with support for AIM, ICQ, IRC, MSN and Jabber; additionally it provides a plug-in system that allows you to include other popular instant messaging protocols such as Gadu-Gadu, Yahoo, Netsend, Skype, and more which make it virtually an all-in-one messaging app.

Its user-friendliness doesn't stop here - Freo Messenger was developed also for portability, it lets you run it from a USB flash drive or other similar removable storage tools but also gives you the possibility to use additional features such as Clock, Weather and RSS Feed Reader.

Freo has also the advantage of little resource consumption while offering speed and numerous options.

Requirements
MS Windows; Internet connection

NetSaro Enterprise Messenger 2.0

2010-03-29T04:57:00.000-07:00

NetSaro allows you to run a private and secure instant messaging network communication, based on client-server architecture. You can send and receive messages, use voice messaging, file transfer or screenshot capture or start multi-user chat session.

Server Features : System access requires a valid User Name and Password. You may want to log messages between your users for auditing purposes. Messages that are send to offline users stored by server and sent when they are first logged-in.

Client Features : User interface integrates smoothly into the desktop and works in the background, easily personalized. Contact list lets easy access to other NetSaro users and informs their online/offline status. You are able to search for a user with lots of conditions like User Name , First Name , Department , E-Mail etc. You can send a message to whole department and message archive ables you to centralize all of your incoming and outgoing messages.

Danger of Instant Messengers. Can They Bring Viruses?

2010-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Even if you have never used IM, you are probably known with the new fast form of instant communication known as instant messaging, abbreviated as IM. Much resembling the email success, the difference in instant messaging is that the two or more parties exchange messages can do it almost instantly without any time period in-between messages. But, as all other computer generated communication systems have been affected by the computer viruses out there, so do now instant messenger users have to protect themselves against malicious code that can be easily transferred and downloading directly to their computer.

Various popular programs, like ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Messenger, among many others, allow people to communicate in real time by exchanging written messages, sound or images. Unfortunately, neither this type of communication can be considered anymore sd virus-free. Hackers, virus writers and spyware coders are today able to develop their malicious content and release it with greater speed through the use of such instant messaging online boards. When unaware people open the files supposedly send by the other party, their computers become infected with a possibly highly dangerous virus. Victims of such an unfortunate event reported their computers slowing down or that they even completely stopped responding. Others did not detect that something went wrong, as nothing appeared to change, but later found dangerous spyware installed in their computer, which was tracking down the information they entered and was transmitting it to unknown receivers.

Since this is one more Internet threat, people can take basic precautions to avoid having to face the stressful fact of having one day to format their computer system and loosing all their valuable information. First, one should be extremely careful before deciding to download a file through IM; particularly when the file is send by an unknown counter-party. In the cases when the sender is known, computer savvies advise people to use another medium, like email, phone or some other method, in order to contact directly the sender and secure that the file transmitted is not a virus. Second, it is extremely important for all computer users to frequently update their software operating system. By keeping it up-to-date, they can reduce the chances of having to battle a new threat that their older version was not developed to detect. Third, IM users should use the most updated version of their choice of instant messaging service. Visiting the IM webpage and downloading the most recently published version secures that their computers stay protected against malicious codes using IM software programs to be transferred from one computer to another. Forth, downloading the newest antivirus and antispyware versions is of critical importance. As these programs can detect and remove malicious codes, it is only logical to have them frequently updated so as to increase the security measures taken against possible harmers.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Kids And Teens, Science, and Clothing

Remobo Presents IPN (Instant Private Network ™) between PC users.

2010-03-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

Remobo developed an Instant Private Network ™ (IPN) for communication between users.

It looks like a computer network for your social network...

Just login, add users to your friends list, and Remobo will create a secure network for you to:

Distant control your home PC and access files while at work or traveling.

Securely share large files like pics & docs between computers or with friends & your family.

Remove your existing, costly and difficult to use VPN software.

Run games, video chats, streaming media, secure instant messaging & more!

Control your own computer remotely from any other computer.

Access your files securely from work or while travelling.

Share files, photos & media with friends & family on your network.

Secure all your messages and file transfers against hackers.

Create a virtual private network (VPN) instantly and securely.

Play LAN games over the Internet as if you were all in the same place.

Connect to any computer in your list securely to access files and data.

Run virtually any 3rd party application on top of Remobo.

How to Use Secure Instant Messaging Software as a Sales Tool

2010-02-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

Secure IM software is about to be concerned with since
instant messaging software has become a popular communication tool for
service support between customers and their suppliers as well as for
chatting with colleagues.

If you’re an usual PC user, you are already know an
instant messaging like Skype, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, and
AOL Instant Messenger, and ICQ. All of these public instant
messaging tools that enable internet users worldwide to
communicate back and forth online in real time using text
messages.

Some of the public instant messaging programs also have video and
voice capabilities. Through instant messaging, multiple people
can be invited to join in on a conversation and users can even
transfer files to one another instantly.

You can imagine how convenient this technology is for business
communications, but as business use increases, so does the need
for secure instant messaging.

Because of the confidential nature of most business transactions
businesses generally are not too crazy about the idea of
transmitting sensitive data and communications over the internet
without proper security, authenticity and encryption.

There is definite concern about data being intercepted or viruses
being exchanged when using public instant messenger programs.

Industries with highly sensitive data have moved toward the use
of private, closed instant messenger programs that encrypt data
and record communications as a solution for secure instant
messaging.

While this is a good option for businesses to handle internal
communications, it isn’t necessarily a solution that will enable
businesses to use instant messaging securely as a sales, customer
service or technical support tool because in order to communicate
through a private, closed instant messenger program, all users
that are collaborating must have the specific program.

Undoubtedly, the communication, collaboration and file sharing
capabilities that instant messaging presents is highly desirable
for businesses. As a sales tool, instant messaging enables
potential customers to ask questions and to have them answered in
real time.

A sales presentation can be made via instant messaging and more
than one person at a time can even be invited to join the online
sales presentation. Customer service and technical support can
also be provided via instant messaging and if support from a
colleague or supervisor is needed in the midst of a conversation,
they can be invited to join the conversation online.

Another advantage of using instant messaging technology as a
sales and service tool is that the text conversations can be
easily saved and referred back to as needed or archived as a
permanent record of communications.

The main disadvantages of using public instant messenger programs
are vulnerability due to the possibility of malware distribution
through messenger programs and the potential for data leakage.
Instant messaging can also be a hindrance to productivity because
it is so quick, convenient and easy to contact a user of instant
messaging.

This ease of instant communication can interrupt a person’s work
causing them to waste time online. These disadvantages lead to
the concerns regarding the use of public instant messenger
programs as a sales or service tool.

For an intranet or for businesses that have the same private
instant messenger programs secure instant messaging is possible;
but in communicating with the standard consumer through public
instant messaging, that is not the case.

If you use instant messaging as a sales or service tool, be aware
that you may be open to vulnerabilities and data leakage if the
communications are not accomplished via secure instant messaging
technology.

Because of the potential for data leakage, credit card
information, proprietary data and so forth should not be
exchanged via public instant messenger programs or services. If
you and your customers can accept the risks of using a public
instant messenger program, it really can be an incredible tool
for sales and service.

Author: Christopher J Enders
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Why IT managers choose Skype IM?

2010-02-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

It's interesting that some of the most modern instant messaging systems are first brought into businesses by usual PC users, rather than staff of IT departments. Then, when others see the advantages those pioneering users are getting, the technology is quickly adopted in company IT environment. It happened this way with PC-based fax, then email, and with instant messaging. And it's happening with Skype IM.

And that's really no amaze. Home PC users first use Skype because it offered free voice and video calls over the Internet. The adoption rate skyrocketed due to Skype's ease of use and superior voice quality over the public Internet. But now that it operates the world's largest and most reliable Internet communications community, with over 405M registered users, it's also a very attractive infrastructure for business telephony applications. According to Skype, 30% of its users are using Skype for business.

What's more, it complements the communications infrastructure that you already have in place, enabling you to do more with the resources you already have, which is particularly compelling in the current business climate.

So here are five key reasons why corporate IT managers have embraced Skype in their organizations—and how they can deploy and centrally manage it effectively.

It saves—and keeps on saving
Skype isn't just about cost savings—but it's a great benefit nonetheless. It saves your business money on all call costs: national, international, mobile, inter-office, to any user, and it keeps on delivering savings.

With Skype centrally managed in your organisation via PBX-to-Skype gateways you can create global numbering plans, enabling employees to use extension dialling between offices. Site-to-site calls are free, and long-distance calls are handled using SkypeOut to reduce costs. The gateways also centralise Skype provisioning and management, giving IT managers full control and eliminating the need to install Skype on each PC. All Skype voice functions are delivered to users' handsets.

The benefits can also extend to mobile users. With Skype installed on any smart mobile phone that can run the lite version of Skype, the user's call preferences can be set up centrally by the IT team, via the PBX gateway, for alternate routing to the mobile user's Skype account. This is done via mobile broadband under the user's mobile data plan, giving huge savings compared with even the cheapest international mobile tariffs.

It leverages your existing technology
These PBX-to-Skype application gateways can link any office phone system (whether traditional digital switch, or IP / SIP PBX) to Skype, for a low one-time upgrade cost without having to swap out or replace existing equipment. The gateways add anything from 4 to 30 Skype lines to the company PBX, so that Skype calls can be made and transferred between extensions as normal. Employees simply dial 8 for Skype, or 9 for an ordinary line.

None of your investments are made obsolete. You just make your existing assets work harder for your business—and start saving money.

It's easy to manage
The gateways can be installed, and Skype provisioned, in less than half a day, with zero changes to existing PBX equipment, phones, or PCs. The gateway ties the Skype Online number to the business to enable Skype DID. It also simplifies configuration, management and support, putting Skype under the IT manager's full control.

There's no need to install Skype on each PC—Skype usage can be monitored by the business just like ordinary calls, and number schemes easily managed. You set it up and it's under centralised control right away.

Skype is completely free of malware, adware and spyware
So it does not add another potential security threat, or attack vector to your network. How many other corporate networks can say the same?

Skype is encrypted
When Skype users connect, it's over an AES-encrypted session, whether it's via instant message, voice, video, or the sending of files. So Skype communications are secure—giving an advantage over conventional VoIP or voice VPNs.

And of course, with a gateway at each office, you get secure voice VPN working over Skype without paying for expensive leased lines, or having to deploy IP PBXs from the same vendor at every office. That's in addition to the benefits outlined earlier.

So with the cost savings and functionality benefits available to you through Skype usage, what's not to love about it?

By: David Tang, Global VP, VoSKY Technologies

Windows Live Messenger Covered 98.82% of Instant Messaging Market in Brazil

2010-02-03T23:39:00.000-08:00

ComScore Inc, a global marketing research company unfurled a new report relating email and instant messaging market in Brazil. Data in the report shows that Microsoft is the ace in email as well as instant messenger IM, followed by Google. The report also included other IT companies with substantial growth. According comScore managing director of Latin America, Alex Banks, Microsoft exercises a strong foothold on many consumer applications in the Latin American marketplace. He also added that there were other software giants such as Google and Yahoo! flexing their muscles. Bank anticipates that the competitive landscape would changes over the next few years with so many consumer-focused Internet brands taking part in this digital gold rush.

ComScore's survey in December revealed 24 million Brazilians aged 15 and older visited web-based email sites from home and work locations. A majority of them nearly 20 million can access Windows Live Hotmail. Next in the ranks was Google's Gmail with 8.4 million visitors (up 51 percent from last year), Yahoo! Mail followed with 7.1 million visitors (up by 20 percent) and UOL Mail having nearly 4 million visitors (up by 14 percent). What's most interesting, 34 percent of Hotmail users swayed to Gmail, where as 81 percent of Gmail users visited Hotmail.

Coming down to the Instant Messenger Application, again Microsoft's Windows Live messenger rules the roost dominating 98.82% of the market in Brazil. However, this category on a whole is growing at a sluggish pace only up by 5% as compared to the total Brazilian Internet audience (up 20 percent). Further there are several smaller players such as EBuddy and Meebo in the IM market that are growing at substantial rate. Microsoft's IM application is under threat with the raging competition in IM market. It's high-time for the tech-giant to workout strategies ways to outplay the competitors to survive its dominance in the IM market, in Brazil.

Chatab.com Presents Instant Messaging IM Portal with built in Browser

2010-01-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

Chatab.com is an unique IM portal that suggest numerous was to joined to your choosen Instant Messenger or Social Network Chat. The IM clients offered as Facebook, Myspace, AIM, QQ, MSN, Yahoo, GTalk, Gadu-Gadu,LiveJournal, ICQ, SameTime, SIMPLE, XMPP. This big list of instant messengers is unique in itself because it offers more ways to connect to IM’s than any other site on the web.

Another fantastic feature of Chatab is that it offers a built in browser for users so they can chat and browse at the exact same time. This feature is another ground breaker for the web and has never been seen before on a website until now.

Instant messaging (IM) is a set of technologies that create the possibility of real-time text-based communication between two or more participants over the internet or some form of internal network/intranet. It is important to understand that what separates chat and instant messaging from technologies such as e-mail is the perceived synchronicity of the communication by the user – Chat happens in real-time. Some systems allow the sending of messages to people not currently logged on, thus removing some of the differences between Instant Messaging and e-mail.

IM falls under the umbrella of chat, chatab.com as it is a real-time text-based networked communication system, but is distinct in that it is based on clients that facilitate connections between specified known users (often using “Buddy List”, “Friend List” or “Contact List”), whereas Chat includes web-based applications that allow communication between (often anonymous) users in a multi-user environment.

Chikka Text Instant Messenger™ v.4.0

2010-01-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

Send messages to all of your IM buddies and all your mobile phone contacts in the all-new Chikka messenger.

Now, one login is all it takes. Take your buddies from other networks in your Chikka buddy list and send them messages straight from your browser, as always, for free. You can send SMS to mobiles around the world when you load up your Chikka Wallet. Texting ‘ hello ü ‘ to the world is now much more convenient and lighter on your pocket. Soon, more exciting features. We’ll keep you posted! Meanwhile, enjoy the all-new Chikka.

Chikka Messenger is the first 2-way PC-to-mobile instant messaging software.
Chikka can be used to send free text instant messages directly from your PC to mobile phones all around the world.
Instant and uninterrupted connectivity with your buddies allow you to chat with them as easily as it would be with an Instant Messaging Buddy.
This New version of Chikka also provides a way to connect to Google Talk! You can add your Google Talk contacts to your buddy list and chat away, even if you're offline. Even if you are not on your Computer system, that shouldn't restrain you from being aware of your friends, as the Chikka client can automatically forward messages to your mobile phone when you leave your PC.
Furthermore, you can also send images, including Pictures and Photographs to your friends, online or on their mobile. You can also activate the tab for your friends by which you can get alerts on your mobile phone whenever your buddy comes online. Chikka Messenger supports up to 320-character SMS. Using Chikka you can also send sms to multiple recipients or a group at once. An added wonderful feature of Chikka is that if you have a Paypal account, then you can use Chikka to send load/top-up credits to your friend's mobile phone. It’s easy and secure.

The UDS Presents an Instant Messenger at for Office (LAN or internet) based on server PHP/MySQL

2010-01-11T21:56:00.001-08:00

IntraMessenger 1.20D is a free instant messaging software.

Instant Messaging (chat) in enterprise environment, with local networks (LAN) or internet for effective intra-office communication.

Here are some main features of "IntraMessenger":

· Server is PHP/MySQL (opensource), make easy for the administrator to choise all options, for display, contact manage, lock...
· Can force nickname to Windows username or let users choise by themself.
· Can force or not user to use password, limit (or not) maximum simultaneous users, online users, contacts numbers...
· Can be public or locked by password.
· Can ban usernames and censure words (replaced by '...').
· Can (if necessary) hiearchic users management : can add to contact only lower or equal level users.
· No file transfer, no VoIP, no webcam, only safety and easy chat.

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Extern authentication (login + password) possible by Burning Board, Connectix-Boards, Dokeos, e107, FluxBB, GEPI, Malleo, Moodle, PMS, phpBMS, PHPizabi, Pligg, Prométhée

X-IM Presents Encrypted Instant Messaging Application.

2009-12-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

X-IM is a free secure Instant Messaging and Chat application. Communicate securely with anyone using full 256-bit Strong Encryption. Please see our website for full details about our encryption. There is no need to purchase a separate security certificate or anything else. The X-IM software will generate your own private keys when you install, and you can start communicating immediately with confidence. The interface is extremely intuitive and easy-to-use, whether you're a beginner or a pro. The Standard Version is completely free and fully functioning. The Pro Version removes ads from the interface and adds the ability to send encrypted Memos and File Transfers.

Instant Messaging For Enterprises.

2009-12-15T03:08:00.000-08:00

Instant Messaging (IM) is getting very wide distributed in business communication. IM has the speed of phone without the interruption of service, and the convenience of email without the any time loss. Main requirements are that the communication is secure, archived, centrally managed and conforms to internal policies. Gartner Technology Business research predicts that by the end of 2010, nearly 100% of corporate PC users with an usual email account will be IM enabled. What about you? Are you there?

"ICQ" For Enterprises

The addition benefit of IM Server to your company gives users the ability to choose the method of communication that best adopted for their needs and work processes. This leads to improved collaboration and productivity for todays fast-paced workplace. By implementing internal Instant Messaging Server, computer users get a secure and managable replacement to popular networks they would be probably using anyways. Trusted users can get access to their AOL account via transport gateway, which provides more control over client software and communication history.

Standards Powered

XMPP (Entensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), also known as Jabber, is the only IETF approved standard for real-time text communication and hence the de facto standard for use in enterprise, goverment and corporate enviroments. Supported by major market players, it is becoming a symbol of convergence and interoperability, for its numerous features, extensions and plugins.

* Presence, Avatars
* Messages, Chat, Multi-User Chat
* File Transfer
* Gateways to Jabber, AOL, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo!, GoogleTalk
* vCards
* Service Monitor Gateway
* GroupWare Monitor Gateway
* IM - Email Interoperability
* Notifications and Alerts: Email, Calendar Events, Tasks
* Secured, closed Intranet configuration possible
* Multi-location architecture for redundancy
* Private and Public services
* Free or restricted account registration
* Widest choice of IM clients, Psi Beta recommended
* Built-in SOCKS proxy server for indirect file transfers

Top Secured

Security features are an important part of all communication products these days and IM Server comes with the best-of-breed features adopted in other server subsystems.

* SSL (Secure Socket Layer) 128-bit encryption, can be forced
* SHA1 login (Secure Hash Algorithm)
* PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) optional message encoding
* Access control to Gateways, Services
* Privacy lists allow/deny based on various criteria (jid, domain, service)
* XEP standard configuration XML files
* Service access limited to listed users
* Allow/ban rules for hostname/IP/external domains
* Server OS report for greater security
* Anonymous communication with trusted hosts

Full-featured

Above presence, chat, conferencing and sending files, users can be notified of incoming e-mails, administrators can be alerted of server status and with GroupWare anyone can display entries in shared calendars of other contacts from their roaster. The integrated IM Server takes the features offered to the maximum, while strictly adhering to policies enforced by the administrator.

* Full Unicode (UTF-8) support, no more issues with non-English alphabets
* IM Archive to comply with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley Act
* Latest XEP implemetation and conformance testings: Stream Compression, HTTP Binding, Privacy and Security functions, Service (Room/Transport) privacy processing
* IM message delivery via pipes
* SIP SIMPLE supported for presence and chat, tested with Counterpath X-Lite
* Shared roster to automatically populate contacts across a domain

Regulatory Compliance

All conversation between users can be logged and archived for administrative and legal purposes. To comply with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley Act, there's server-side chat Archive with the possibility of archive rotation and backup. Archives can be automatically deleted after a specified number of days, or kept indefinitely.

* Individual Message History
* Server Message Archive
* History Logging for chat rooms
* Backup Tool integration
* Copy to email option
* Communication can be reviewed in plain text files
* Presence logging, an automatic timesheet

Service Monitor Gateway and GroupWare Integration

After registering the new Service Monitor Gateway in Jabber client, users can see their calendar events, tasks and notes for the upcoming week or subscribe to a coworkers' shared calendar events, tasks, notes and FreeBusy status. All that's needed is to add a specially formatted JabberID to your contacts (roaster). Specifically for administrators, jids for monitoring service status were introduced, with frequent refresh intervals.

* monitor.yourdomain.com Gateway
* Display status of GroupWare items- quick glance at events, tasks, notes
* Monitor administrator resources status of SMTP, POP3, IMAP, Web, IM, FTP, SIP, GW
* Shared calendars support- displays Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming, FreeBusy status
* GroupWare updated every 30 minutes or upon sending a message to roaster item
* Service Monitor uses 1 minute refresh interval

Transport gateways to most popular networks

Complete IM and SMTP Integration

After registering the new XMPP Email Transport Gateway in Jabber client, IM and email become fully interoperable. Through special URL prefix "xmpp:", IM features can be combined with server Filters and Rules actions, for unlimited usage scenarios.

* emailtransport.yourdomain.com Gateway
* URL "xmpp:" support, in such case an instant message is sent instead of email
* Message coming to SMTP is sent to the XMPP server, xmpp:john@yourdomain.com
* Message sent from IM client to contact john%yourdomain.com@emailtransport.yourdomain.com is sent to email
* Server Rules and Content Filter - Forward To/Send message XMPP URL "xmpp:" support
* Conditioned IM message delivery, e.g. xmpp:email?online sends emails to IM only if user is online
* Combines with forwarding rules (if message not spam etc.)
* Auto conversion to UTF8 when message is sent from email to IM
* Subject set from the first line of Body if not set at all
* < nick > support added for full display name

Integration Benefits

* Same password for all services, partly single sign-on approach
* Unified policies (passwords, expirations, trusted hosts)
* Centrally managed via the same administration interface
* Specialialized Email, GroupWare and Monitor gateways
* JabberID can be emailed to and vice versa
* Personalized content delivery via Filters, Rules, System Variables

CommFort Software Presents a Voice and Text Chat IM Client-Server for LAN or Internet.

2009-12-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

Review

CommFort is a multi-functional client-server LAN/Internet utility, includes an advanced text chat, voice chat and file/folder exchange system. It is powered for its thought-through text chat, which except the usual "smilies" offers convenient image inverting to dialogs. The low-latency voice chat gives the feeling of talking to a person standing next to you rather than sitting a globe away. And sending a file or an entire folder is just a matter of a mouse click; the automatic block size adjustment allows reaching the highest speeds possible when exchanging files over networks with 32 kbps through 1 Gbps of bandwidth. The program takes care of incomplete file downloads, automatically picking up broken file transfers and resuming them when the network is available.

PubliTronic BV Presents NetMessenger IM software

2009-12-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Review

This instant messagin program that can be used for direct instant messaging via intranet, LAN and Internet networks. Unlike the products of instant messaging for Internet developed by other companies, AlpSoft NetMessenger is based on TCP/IP (not UDP) protocol. It supports guaranteed data delivery. AlpSoftNetMessenger was developed with the orientation on effective usage in the business environment.

General features:
Multiple recipients, File transfer, EMail notification, Message Filter and File Transfer are available in the current beta version.High security, AutoAnswering and realtime Direct Chat will be realised in the final version. Main module of NetMessenger has small size (about 190 Kbytes) and don't take a lot of memory resources.

Email messaging will die within 10 years.

2009-11-29T21:10:00.000-08:00

According to research done by TalkTalk and the University of Kent it is clear that the trend of emailing seems to be vanished in the coming years. People are now advancing towards some new and modern ways of effective communication like social networking and instant messaging.

These new trends have badly affected the email communication as they have brought more speed and ease with them. Now a day’s people seems to be less communicating via email as they have got some secure social networks for communication and what would be better than an instant message.

The research carried by the above mentioned organizations found that 15 to 24-year-olds are more reliant on instant messengers like Skype and social networks like Facebook than they are on emails. Professor David Zeitlyn from the University of Kent is of the believe that this trend spells the end for email.

The same is case with Fax as the trends of this technology are also decreasing day by day. The less use of these tools and technologies shows that the new society is advancing very fast towards better ways of communicating with their loved one and this changing trend of technology will give birth to a more perfectly technical generation.

Source:http://www.productusp.com/email-will-be-killed-within-10-years.html

Businesses should make next step from email to instant messaging (IM) to improve security.

2009-11-25T22:02:00.001-08:00

The stable growing in Web 2.0 communication services such as instant messaging (IM) and social networking networks - plus client-oriented applications that drive the services - means that heightened levels of vigilance are required against links and messages sent from hacked accounts, according to F-Secure.

According to the IT security and malware specialist, instead of logging in and out of the internet to send their email, many users are now constantly online with their computers and mobile phones.

This is, in part, being driven by the fact that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have grown rapidly as people are making use of the constant stream of fast communications that they enable.

Sean Sullivan, a security advisor with the Finland-headquartered F-Secure, said that cybercriminals are increasingly seeing opportunities to make money from hacking Facebook and other social networking accounts.

The high level of personal trust within communities of friends on these social networking services, he said, provides them an ideal cover for scams and for spreading malware.

"Email account addresses can be faked and people are used to getting mails from unknown persons, so they are skeptical of links sent via email", he said.

"It is often more difficult to recognise when a member of their social network has been hacked. People have not yet learned to be skeptical of the links forwarded by their `friends' on social networks, which can lead to infection from malware or to websites promoting rogue products", he added.

Sullivan went on to say that instant messaging is fun, personal and useful but everyone should also be aware of the new security risks involved.

"Links sent from hacked accounts and requests for financial help from so-called friends are bound to increase as social networking sites become ever more popular", he said.

Source: http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com

Secure Unified Communications: Secure Connections While on the Move.

2009-11-10T00:52:00.000-08:00

Unified Communications routes channels of communication through multiple modalities: email, VoIP, voice mail, cell networks, telepresence, Instant Messaging, etc. Ironically, the greater the number of communication options, the more time-consuming it can be to connect with a specific individual. Also, UC can sometimes present a larger attack surface for those with malicious intent.

Unified Communications (UC) has enormous promise as a coherent, integrated approach to incorporating the full spectrum of business communications modalities, and as direct path to cut through "communications clutter" resulting in accelerated time-to-action. It also offers a cost-effective way to more directly connect the company to its customers, employees to employees, and more tightly bind business partners and suppliers. In the September 2009 Aberdeen Report "Unified Communications: Gaining a Competitive Advantage While on the Move," reducing human latency (the time delay in initiating and reaching a contact) was revealed as a key benefit of UC, resulting in measurably increased efficiency and improved customer Increase Customer Sales with Email Marketing -- Free Trial from VerticalResponse intimacy.

However, these benefits are at risk if the UC ecosystem is not secured from unauthorized use, protected from malware attacks, and compliant with government and industry regulations.

Some of the newest real-time applications of UC are generating the greatest interest -- Voice over IP (VoIP), IP video, presence, instant messaging, Web collaboration -- and they create new security challenges. These challenges are compounded by the expansion of UC capabilities to include mobile endpoints such as smartphones and laptops. Because these devices are typically in motion, their communication paths often traverse the unsecured Internet outside the protection of the organization's firewall, whether via wireless carrier services, WiFi hotspots or other public networks. Securing these new real-time UC applications on mobile endpoints becomes crucial as adoption of UC throughout the enterprise continues apace.

Enterprises extending UC to these devices must contend with security issues such as UC infrastructure authorized access, exposure of enterprise resources and communications to untrusted public and private networks, unsecured physical devices and removable storage media, and uncontrolled or untested applications residing on the devices.
The Rise of Modality Convergence

UC has the potential to increase efficiency, improve customer intimacy and accelerate time-to-resolution for problem-solving and communications.

UC enables optimization of communications routing between several modalities. Examples of UC include receiving voice messages in an email inbox, making phone calls from a laptop computer, transferring calls between a smartphone and a desk phone, and using presence-enabled applications to determine whether the person to be reached is busy, available, in the office or the car, or "Not to be Disturbed."

If an individual or group can be reached by wireless or wireline voice call, voice mail, mobile voice mail, email, mobile email, instant messaging, text messaging, fax, Web conferencing, and now micro-blogging, how does one choose the most time-effective and immediate method of contact?

The irony here is that the greater the number of communications options, the more time-consuming it can be to connect with a specific individual, especially when the available communications modalities are not coordinated or well-integrated. UC therefore becomes increasingly important in mending the fractured digital communications landscape.
Reducing Latency: The Business Value of UC

Reducing human latency is a primary objective of UC. Human latency is defined as the delay in completion of a business process caused by waiting for humans to act on the process.

Best-in-Class companies (those ranking among the top 20 percent across selected performance metrics) were able to reach a designated contact within the organization on the first try 79 percent of the time. This is 39 percent more often than the Industry Average, and more than four times as often as the Laggards. Best-in-Class UC also makes respondents 31 percent faster in their response time to others trying to reach them from both outside as well as inside the organization, more than twice as fast as the Industry Average and over five times that of the Laggards.
Mobile UC

Because UC is ultimately about uniting today's disparate communication modes into an integrated whole, mobility always plays an enabling role. In fact, mobility is the one common denominator in every UC initiative. The recent emergence of the mobile device as the most reliable point of contact for an individual, along with the need to integrate the device into the organization's communications infrastructure, has become one of the primary drivers for increased UC adoption.

Mobile UC is that portion of the UC spectrum dedicated to full UC integration of the mobile client, whether smartphone or laptop softphone. This includes Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC -- see below) and mobile-to-IP-PBX integration. While the number of "road warriors" may diminish due to shrinking travel budgets, it may be the "corridor warrior" carrying their smartphone or laptop from office to conference room and back again who stands to gain the most from an organization's mobile UC initiative.
Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC)

FMC is an important waystation on the path to full mobile UC integration because it unites the carriers' cellular wireless and fixed-line communications infrastructures.

When used with supported dual-mode smartphones (WiFi and cellular being the two modes), it can also allow for a seamless handover of calls-in-progress back and forth between Wireless LAN (WLAN), cellular and wireline networks.

A direct advantage of FMC is the routing of voice calls over the WLAN instead of over the cellular network. This provides a direct cost savings, especially as compared to international mobile roaming charges.
Beyond FMC

Mobile UC goes beyond FMC to connect wireline calls and cellular phones, irrespective of geographical location or wireless carrier. It enables a properly equipped mobile phone to appear as a fully-functional extension on the company voice network or Private Branch eXchange (PBX). Just as with desk-bound callers, this allows for the bridging of calls to cellular telephones, extension dialing, and other advanced features familiar to users of desk phones. Users on cellphones can easily transfer calls, conference with other parties, and toggle between multiple calls. Roaming outside the firewall on a public WiFi network can extend this "virtual office" capability anytime, anywhere.

However, along with these advantages come new security concerns. Strong user and device authentication is needed to prevent unauthorized access to the corporate network. Encryption of calls-in-progress to ensure corporate communications privacy over the public IP networks that the call will traverse is also required.
Protecting the Core Business Infrastructure

With the convergence of so many communications modalities within a unified infrastructure, security of the communications content becomes an essential concern. In the June 2009 report "Mobile Device Management: Bringing Order to Enterprise Mobility Chaos," fierce protection of corporate assets from rogue mobile access emerged as a best practice -- with 78 percent of the Best-in-Class enforcing organizational security compliance standards. This is 15 percent more than Industry Average and 70 percent more than Laggards

Despite this best practice, many organizations aren't as proactively protective of their UC assets as they are of their other corporate assets. It's as if there's less awareness of the potential for security risks in the voice or real-time messaging domain.

To those with malicious intent, converged communications can present a larger attack surface than other forms of data. UC introduces more end-points of different varieties and security postures that present a wider variety of potential security gaps. Once an attacker has compromised one point of vulnerability in a UC environment, other UC applications are immediately put at risk.

Only 38 percent of the Best-in-Class have a comprehensive security capability covering a broad range of UC modalities. Even this low rate of adoption far outpaced that of All Other respondents.
The Importance of Securing Real-Time UC

Real-Time UC is that portion of the UC capabilities spectrum that typically takes place in real-time ("synchronous") versus the usually time-delayed store-and-forward forms ("asynchronous"). Examples of real-time UC include "standard" voice telephony, Voice over IP, IP video, telepresence, instant messaging, presence, and Web collaboration. Unlike the asynchronous forms such as email and voice mail, which are often secured using the vendors' bundled security solution, real-time UC is often not secured unless it is addressed by a third-party or add-on appliance, performing deep-packet inspection, providing real-time encryption and decryption, detecting threats, and managing access control and associated UC security functions.

The technical challenges of encrypting and decrypting streaming or real-time media without introducing an unacceptable delay ("processing latency") are significant. Few solutions available on the market today provide zero-latency, fully encrypted, end-to-end, secure, real-time communications beyond the organization's firewall. Performing UC security at line-speed without unduly burdening the existing infrastructure is no small challenge.

This is precisely where the most significant security vulnerability resides -- when the real-time content crosses over the public Internet in its routing path. The combination of mobility and real-time UC are typically the most-in-demand UC capabilities, and in many cases are the primary drivers for broader UC adoption within the enterprise. This underscores the business-critical nature of incorporating a comprehensive real-time UC security solution.
In Summary

UC has enormous potential to integrate multiple business communications modalities into well-integrated communications pathways to enhance knowledge sharing, streamline operations and efficiency, improve workforce collaboration, and increase customer responsiveness. However, the lack of a comprehensive security solution for real-time UC undermines broader acceptance and penetration of UC within the enterprise. One major security lapse reverses years of progress.

On the other hand, within a well-integrated, real-time, secure environment, trust in new communications modalities can be maintained, and UC's promise of measurable efficiency gains may actually be achieved.

Source:http://www.technewsworld.com/story/68565.html
By Andrew Borg
TechNewsWorld

VMware presents View 4 with software PC-over-IP.

2009-11-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today VMware presented the most freshest version of their desktop software product, View 4. This new release has two main new features:

* A software-based, PC-over-IP remoting protocol is built-in
* View now runs on vSphere 4. (Completely new feature!!)

The remaining major features of View have not been updated, including:

* View Composer is the same as before.
* Offline VDI is still experimental.
* ThinApp is the same.
* VMware CVP (the client hypervisor) is still not available. (1H10 is the current ETA.)
* Windows 7 is not supported. (It’s there as “experimental.”)
* RTO Software’s Virtual Profiles product (which VMware announced they would OEM), is NOT yet included.

While there are many advantages to basing your VDI infrastructure on vSphere 4 (which we’ll look at later in this article), it looks like the only major new View-specific feature is PC-over-IP (despite the fact there are hundreds of people on the desktop team).

VMware’s software PC-over-IP protocol better be pretty good!
How good is the software PC-over-IP?

I have no idea. I haven’t used it yet. I did just get the release code from VMware for View 4 over the weekend, so Gabe and I will put it through its tests and see if PC-over-IP is as good as VMware claims it is. For the record, I don’t think PC-over-IP has to be as good as HDX—it just has to be good enough for people to use.

And certainly VMware claims it’s ready. Everyone there seems really proud of the work they did getting PC-over-IP to run in software. They claim their implementation works on the LAN and the WAN and across wide samples of latency, bandwidth, and packet loss. They talk about how it’s dynamically adaptive, both changing as network characteristics change and based on what’s on the screen (apps, text, Flash, etc.). VMware also points out that PC-over-IP remotes the entire client experience, so you get stuff like multiple monitors and USB redirection.

The idea for View 4 is that PC-over-IP will replace RDP with TCX as the “go to” protocol for View and will be used by everyone. My understanding is right now there’s only a client for Windows, but they want to release a Mac client in the future. And software and hardware PC-over-IP clients and hosts will be interchangeable, so you could also use a thin client device with a hardware chip in it with the software PC-over-IP of View 4.

In fact VMware is really proud of the ecosystem developing around PC-over-IP, even releasing a press release talking about it. (Although for some reason the first partner mentioned in the PC-over-IP ecosystem press release is Cisco, and after talking about their WAN optimization which has nothing to do with PC-over-IP, they talk about the security of the Nexus 1000V!?! Come on.. this is a press release just about PC-over-IP!) But if you get through that weird Cisco part of the release, you’ll see HP, Dell, Devon IT, and Wyse talking about how they support the protocol.

Obviously View 4 will still support RDP-based connections as well for older or non-Windows clients. VMware had previously some of Wyse’s TCX extensions for RDP to help make it a better experience. I assume that agreement continues, although I don’t know for sure. (I asked on Friday but haven’t yet heard back on that. I’ll update this when I do.)
Running desktops on vSphere 4

VMware will be spending a lot of time talking about how good vSphere 4 is and why it’s the best platform for desktop virtualization.

That may be true, but what’s kind of weird is that other desktop virtualization products like Citrix XenDesktop and Quest vWorkspace also have the ability to run on vSphere. So a “win” for vSphere, while certainly a “win” for VMware, is not necessarily a “win” for View. (Does that make sense?)

I guess really the win for View when it comes to vSphere is that when you buy View, you get the highest-end edition (Enterprise Plus) included with your purchase. (Brilliant move, btw!) Customers who chose vSphere for with non-View VDI products would have to buy vSphere licenses on top of whatever desktop product they’re using. (And vSphere isn’t cheap, starting a $800 per processor and climbing to a whopping $3500 per processor for the Enterprise Plus edition that comes with View!)

And even though there’s nothing stopping customers from buying the $3500 per processor license for their VDI environments, it’s most likely that customers will opt for one of the cheaper editions, believing that most of the high-end virtualization infrastructure features included in the top package don’t really matter for their VDI desktops. So while that might be true, it also means that since both VMware View editions do include the highest end vSphere edition, you really need to look at those features and consider them as part of the value you get with View that you wouldn’t get somewhere else. For example, VMware Distributed Resource Schedule (DRS) watches server load and dynamically moves VMs (via live migration) across physical hosts. This could allow you to consolidate VMs to fewer servers to shut down hosts to save power. And since DRS is part of the super expensive version of vSphere that’s included with View, you could claim that as a feature of View even though it’s technically made possible by the underlying vSphere.

by Brian Madden
Source: http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/

Pidgin. Multi-Protocol Iinstant Messaging Client.

2009-10-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

There once was a pidgin, a strange kind of pidgin... I am talking about that latest IM client from the Gaim series, named as Pidgin 2.0.0, which came after a long period of waiting and broke the download tops. Why Pidgin 2.0.0 and not Gaim 2.0.0 is an old story, of which I'm pretty sure you all are aware; the story begins a long time ago, when AOL used to complain about Gaim's original name, GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger. Now, when AOL trademarked the AIM acronym too, Gaim had nothing left to do than change its name again. Pidgin came as the most suitable alternative, as it best describes this application's purpose and usage. The word pidgin defines a second language used as a means of communication between groups of individuals who do not share a common language. Even though it was designed for the Unix-like operating systems, Pidgin can now run on platforms such as Windows, Solaris, SkyOS and Qtopia, beside FreeBSD and Linux of course.

The most popular feature provided by Pidgin would be the support for multiple protocols. Protocols like Yahoo! Messenger, Jabber, IRC, OSCAR (AIM, ICQ), Gadu-Gadu, .NET Messenger Service, Zephyr and others are working just fine with the stable Pidgin 2.0.0 version. Even though it does not offer exotic features, such as webcam support, voice messaging or built-in games, Pidgin gained enough popularity and through this version it has now become the download of the day on many freeware websites.

In order to have Pidgin running on your computer, you must first go through an ordinary manual installation, where you should be asked for some more or less, depending on your system, additional packages. Once you got through with the installation, things become very simple and intuitive. Simple and intuitive are actually the words I also chose to describe this application's interface. With a rather ordinary and not very friendly look, this interface provides a pretty good management and easy access to all of its functions and I must also admit it looks a bit better than the previous version.

At a first run, you will be asked to set up an account, where you will provide all related information, such as protocol, screen name, password, server a.s.o .You can then add (or edit the already existing ones) as many accounts as you want, from the Accounts place on the menu toolbar. You will not need any buddy list import as this is done automatically. It also benefits from a long plug-ins list that should provide you features such as auto-accept file transfer or the possibility to autoreply for
all used protocols. Another thing one could find useful would be, in my opinion, the way it handles the user's privacy. The privacy tool provides a well-defined list from where you can select which users are allowed to contact you and which of them are not. Any change will take place immediately. If you take a look at the Tools you will find also other exciting features provided by Pidgin. The one I liked the most was the Buddy Pounces. This option allows you to set alerts for whenever one or more of your buddies you select signs on/off, becomes idle or goes out of idle, goes away a.s.o. The alert you can set is either a notification or a sound or even a command that would be executed anytime the pounced buddy performs one of the selected actions.

Pidgin also provides an easy way of accessing the configuring panel for your preferences. The Tools -> Preferences path opens a dialog where you can define your own preferences regarding the interface, sounds, network connection or check options such as chats logging or the way according to which your status is turned to idle. This dialog also provides options related to the text formatting, such as font type, size or color. The themes list does not offer you many options by default; you can select the none option which will disable graphical emoticons or the default Hylke Bons, which is pretty simplistic and neither does it come with sophisticated pallet of graphical features. But you can install new themes very easily by simply dragging and then dropping them onto the themes list.

Contact aliasing and grouping multiple buddies into a single contact can also be counted among the enhancements Pidgins enjoys. I could also give it some credit here for the interesting way it manages the conversations using tabbed message windows and to the clever options of hiding/showing the empty groups or the offline users.

The Good

With an impressive power of customization, Pidgin 2.0 comes with all the good stuff provided by the former Gaim. The text-only version, here called Finch (which was formerly known as gaim-text), allows you to chat with your buddies from a command line in the same way as if you were in a graphical environment. The default configuration is worth mentioning too, as I find it very useful. For example when you close it, Pidgin goes to the system tray; in older versions I had to make this happen by myself.

The Bad

What I don't like about this version is that, the same as with the previous ones, it lacks themes, and the user interface is quite simplistic, not to say too standardized to a much too common model. I would also like to mention here the lack of support for webcam or voice messaging.

The Truth

Pidgin is an instant messaging client compatible with a variety of platforms, supporting a wide range of protocols and offering the possibility to log in to multiple accounts simultaneously. It comes with many popular features, such as file transfer and typing notifications but it also brings up unique ones, and a pretty large plug-ins collection.

Source: http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/

Network Software Solutions Presents MyChat 4.3

2009-10-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

MyChat is a client-server based chat software, it is perfectly organized for message sending and an exchange of files in a network.

MyChat can be runned in corporate or intranet networks, and also through the Internet.

The product will be useful to the companies to which need a resource of corporate dialogue, but usage of such IM systems, as ICQ is inadmissible because of possibility of information leakage. With MyChat such problems will not be: you install a server and can inspect all.

Possibilities of system will pleasantly surprise even the most exacting users. Program installation, and also its usage will not cause any difficulties.

Built-in FTP server - There is a built in own file multithreaded FTP server in MyChat. It uses for an auto update of clients when new versions are released and for exchanging files between users.

Alert messages - It is possible to send the important message to any amount of people in a chat. Also it is possible to request a confirmation about perusal to be assured that your message has been read.

History of messages - Dialogue history in common and private channels in the convenient form with possibility of search of messages on date, channel or user.

Script engine - With the help of script engine MyChat Script Language the server can handle various events that allows MyChat to co-operate with already working systems in your company.

The panel of contacts - Organize the list of the contacts. MyChat even can create it automatically for you!

Logging of all events - The server can record absolutely all: from system messages to private talks.

User groups - For more floppy control users can be united in various groups. Assign the rights to administrators, operators and usual users!

Obscene words and flood - Effective methods for usage limitation in a chat of obscene lexicon and the warning of spams-dispatches.

Ignoring - Someone too bothers you in a chat? Bring him in the ignore-list, and he cannot disturb you any more.

Nuotex Presents An Instant Messaging Tool For Yahoo Messenger.

2009-10-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

BuddyCheck tool will scan the hidden online status of your Yahoo! instant Messenger friends. It will constantly check to see if they are online, even if they are changed status to invisible or are using any hidden mode. It will notify you using a tray area balloon when a contact login on or off. It does this by sending special messages to the Yahoo! Messenger server from a separate account which you must create. You could use your regular Yahoo! Messenger account for this, but this is not recommended since only one application can be logged in at any given time into one account. You can customize the period after which each contact is checked again for change, and you can set individual checking periods for some of your contacts. You can also easily import contacts from any Yahoo! Messenger account that you have.

Security Of Instant Messaging Is Important Thing.

2009-09-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Instant messaging (IM) software, such as Windows Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk, have moved beyond the world of high school chatter and into the world of corporate communications. Yet, in many cases, security policies and processes haven't caught up to this technology. It's now time to consider how instant messaging is, and should be, used in your organisation, and how to protect against IM threats.

Instant messaging policies

The first step is to clearly state your organisation's policy on instant messaging. Can users install and use IM software on systems owned by the organisation? If you have a strict "no outside software" policy, you may think you're covered, but keep in mind that Windows XP SP2 ships with Windows Messenger installed, creating a policy loophole.

Here's a set of questions you should consider when defining your organisation's IM policy:

Is IM use permissible on your network?
May users run IM software on systems owned by your organisation?
Does the organisation endorse/require a specific IM platform?
Is encryption mandatory?
Is IM acceptable for corporate use or for personal communications only?
Are there restrictions on the sensitivity of data that may be communicated via IM?
Is there a requirement to retain records of IM communication for any period of time?
Once you have a clear policy on IM use, educate your users on policy requirements and their responsibilities.

Instant messaging security measures

If you decide to allow instant messaging, blanket it with layers of protection to ensure you're organisation is protected against the viruses, worms and other malicious code that's become prevalent on IM networks. Run a modern antivirus program that includes IM scanning on all workstations, and consider a using network-based content filter that scans IM traffic for malware.

You also want to prevent the threat of eavesdropping on your traffic as it traverses public networks. Out of the box, IM software uses public servers hosted by the IM provider, which means all messaging must traverse the public Internet on its way to and from the server. If you think your users might send sensitive messages through IM (accidentally or intentionally), you should strongly consider encrypting that traffic. Unfortunately, encrypted IM is a relatively immature technology that typically requires a specialized client. One standout in this field is the free Trillian client by Cerulean Studios, which supports multiple IM networks and allows encrypted communications with other Trillian users.

The ultimate option in secure instant messaging is to run your own managed IM server or gateway. This eliminates the threat of outsiders intercepting internal messages as they cross the Internet by keeping the traffic on the local network, and it's actually easier than you might think. Many of these products allow you fine-grained control over the types and destinations of IM traffic on your network. In addition to the commercial products available, you may wish to consider the open-source Jabber IM server project.

Instant messaging is here for the foreseeable future and poses a significant challenge to information security professionals. If you're not able to block IM completely due to business requirements, you should certainly consider implementing strong controls to limit the risk this technology poses to your organisation.

Recommanding a program, Colasoft Capsa, to check if your IM is communicating safely.

By Mike Chapple From SearchSecurity

Wu Weisheng Presents LuLu Messenger version 2.3.0 for LAN

2009-09-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

LuLu Messenger is a cool and easy to use software designed for chat and file exchange over a LAN network.

There are some key benefits of "LuLu Messenger for LAN":

· Instant Messages
· Picture Transfer
· Smileys
· Screenshot Transfer
· Files and Directory Sending
· Files and Directory Sharing
· Carbon copying(Cc, c.c.) Message
· Broadcast Messaging
· Platform Independent
· Handsome GUI
· IP Multicast Protocol
· Fast Transfer Speed
· Support Custom Faces
· Support Custom Emotions
· Language Customization Support
· Based on High-performance and Real-time ACE Network Library
· Based on Qt High-level GUI Library

IMbrella Released An Instant Message Monitoring Software IMbrella Enterprise Monitor 3.0

2009-09-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

IMbrella Software, a global supplier of instant message monitoring software to enterprises and educational organizations, has presented version 3.0 of its well-known IMbrella Enterprise Monitor. The latest version employs IMbrellas patent pending MessageStorm Technology to eliminate the need for custom hardware and/or proxy resets on every network PC.

While other IM monitoring solutions asks expensive hardware gateways or time-consuming proxy configuration, IMbrella can be installed on any admin PC station with entrance to the network. IMbrellas powerful new technology watches all network traffic, filtering and recording all IM sessions including AOL, MSN, Yahoo and ICQ chat. Until now, secure instant messaging was an incredibly arduous mission for overworked IT Managers and CTOs," said Marty Schultz, President of IMbrella. Our latest release literally drops in and starts recording in minutes."

A free 15-day demo of IMbrella v3.0 with MessageStorm is now available at: http://www.imbrellasoftware.com/demo.asp

About IMbrella

IMbrella helps companies and schools harness the power of instant messaging while mitigating its liabilities. The Company is dedicated to providing an affordable tool whose simplicity and functionality helps overworked IT managers safeguard the exploding use of IM in their organization.

Based in Salem, NH, with offices in the Bay Area and South Florida, IMbrella now provides the most advanced and affordable software solution for organizations seeking to reduce the risks of unregulated instant messaging on their network. Transparent to network users, IMbrella installs on a central server in minutes (with no added hardware required) and immediately starts scanning and archiving all instant message traffic, including: AOL, Yahoo, MSN and ICQ. IMbrella is used by companies and schools to detect compliance violations, sexual harassment, intellectual property disclosures, copyright/patent infringement, excessive usage and insider trading.

New Message Processing Platform Is Presented by Sendmail

2009-09-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

Sendmail, Inc., a supplier of secure email and instant messaging infrastructures, presented its latest version of its Sentrion Message Processing Engine, Sentrion MPE 4.0, at VMworld 2009 held in San Francisco this week.

According to a statement the Sentrion MPE 4.0 key new features consist:

* Centralized Reporting and data aggregation with on-demand, template-driven reports, and customizable report execution.
* System and Application Monitoring of the entire MPE, including hardware, OS and all MPE components.
* Full Configuration Version Control for tracking and managing all system configuration changes with support for full roll-back and configuration tagging.
* New Graphical User Interface consolidates the previous component-based interface segregation by collapsing the most critical Sentrion MPE components under a common UI framework.

LAN Messenger in Win Popup Style. IP messenger.

2009-09-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

IP LAN Messenger is a software tool that suggest you to exchange messages via the IP number of PC stations within designated blocks of IP addresses. If you manage thousands of IP addresses, you can send chat to thousands of computers. This unique application is made for using within your IP adresses range allocated to your business network. It also offers with realtime statistics which display you successes and failures of application.

IP Messenger also scan people who are using it in the network and automatically adds them your buddy list with the name set in the software. Its an open source, multi platform messenger based on TCP/UDP. IP Messenger also available in languages like Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese.

Instant messaging security. What are key factors?

2009-08-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Business IT message board users generally trust that the key factors around IM security is policy, enforcement and training. Apparently, individual business structures should solve how far they want to go with each of these, depending on the nature of the risk and its potential impact on the business processes, write Kate Danbury, head of information security, and Ollie Ross, head of research, at The Corporate IT Forum.

Everywhere, there is rising pressure from within corporates for IT to provide communication and collaboration technologies that users are familiar with and use extensively in home and social environments: most notably instant messaging. Instant Messaging supports productivity; it's fast, it's easy to use and it's the tool of choice for the new generation of office workers.

But from security sign, its risks are comparable with e-mail. It might also impact workforce productivity - at least until the novelty of 'chat' wears off - it can shortcut processes and undermine reporting and approval mechanisms, it's causal quality can be inappropriate for business conversations, and it can have an adverse impact on your network traffic. So deploying or switching on IM requires very careful consideration.

Firstly, decide where you would use instant messaging. Don't assume it's an all-or-nothing choice. Many of our members use IM internally across the enterprise without opening up the capability externally. Others use it as an effective tool between trusted partners (e.g. in an outsourced or support relationship). External IM is rarely used by businesses in the broader, public arena, thus minimising the risks associated with opening up the network.

Then decide what tool might best suit your requirements. Typically Forum members use proprietary solutions in-house rather than relying on consumer social networking tools.

Next, determine how IM may be used. Ensure your acceptable use policy offers clear guidelines around appropriate and inappropriate use, and that these really are understood and accepted by your users.

And finally, put a process in place that enables you to understand how instant messaging is being used, by whom and for what purpose. It's is widely recommended that usage is recorded and monitored. It is therefore auditable. Make sure your employees know this and understand the implications.

As drivers and business cases for collaboration increase so, too, does the risk that IT security becomes a business disabler. IM might offer true opportunities for your organisation. Or it could lead to real problems. It's a fine balance between having a 'safe and secure' network and helping the business to be as agile and reactive as it wants to be. And it's also very much about trust.

Microsoft® Office Communicator service extended the Secure Instant Messaging (IM)

2009-08-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

Improve office co-workers abilities to find and communicate with each other.

Herndon, VA (PRWEB) August 11, 2009 -- Apptix (OSE: APP), the leading supplier of hosted Microsoft Exchange email, Microsoft SharePoint communication services, and VoIP phone services for small and medium businesses (SMBs), today presented it has extended the Secure Instant Messaging (IM) and Presence capabilities of its hosted Microsoft® Office Communicator service to mobile devices.

The service, Office Communicator Mobile, is a unified communications client that extends the reach of Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) secure IM subscriptions to mobile devices. Integrated with Microsoft Exchange, mobile users can directly access contacts within their Global Address List, and use the application's real-time presence information to learn another person's availability and status. Users can even choose to be alerted when contacts become available.
Directly from their mobile device, users can chat, one-on-one or with a group, in secure IM sessions with other Microsoft Communicator users - using a computer or mobile device. The mobile service features the rich IM capability with the familiar look and feel of the desktop version of Microsoft Communicator.

"By extending secure IM to mobile devices, Apptix enables employees to communicate and collaborate more productively," said Rick Rumbarger, Vice President of Product for Apptix. "Our service provides businesses the freedom to communicate using Instant Messaging from desktop to mobile within a secure environment."

Office Communicator Mobile is available for free to subscribers of Apptix's secure Instant Messaging and Web conferencing services, and is applicable for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Java enabled mobile devices. For more information, please visit www.apptix.com.

Air Messenger LAN Server

2009-08-05T02:37:00.000-07:00

The Air Messenger LAN Server is the most powerful network wireless instant messaging software available that has been developed especially for the LAN environment. With Air Messenger LAN Server running on a one workstation allows your entire office to send alphanumeric pages to anyone without the need of a modem line at each work station. All pages are sent over your existing network to the Air Messenger LAN Server for processing. Additional support has been implemented for SNPP that allows other messaging software that conforms to the SNPP protocol to send messages through the Air Messenger LAN Server as well (SNPP Forwarding Proxy Server). The Air Messenger LAN Server also supports ETAP which allows for message delivery confirmation when used with SMS systems like Nextel or other Digital Cellular Carriers. New in 5.0, the Kenwood FleetSync protocol was add. This allows you to send text message to your Kenwood FleetSync enabled 2-Way radios. Air Messenger LAN Server is a must-have for organizations that depend on alphanumeric messaging devices. In version 6.7 MX record lookup has been added for quicker delivery of e-mail pages as well as SSL (secure Socket Layer) support so that WCTP pages can be sent securely. Also in 6.7 a new mobile client has been added to allow mobile users to use the client independent of the server or connect through the server when in the office. The mobile client will also provide redundancy by downloading the data locally and using this data in stand alone mode should their be a LAN connection failure.

Key Features Of
Air Messenger LAN Server

Designed to integrate seamlessly into an existing network environment, Air Messenger LAN Server manages who sent what message to whom, and when. Taking full advantage of a networked environment. For current Release Notes click here.

* SNPP Forwarding Proxy Server
* SNPP Server Option
* ETAP Support for message delivery confirmation
* SMS Messaging Via GSM SMS Compatible Mobile Phone
* Send Pages Via SNPP, WCTP, TAP, Direct Connection TAP, or E-Mail
* SSL Support for WCTP.
* AM Mobile Client (Application for both standalone and client operations)
* Supports Kenwood's FleetSync Protocol.
* Delivery Fail Redundancy
* Internet Ready
* RAS Dial-Up for Internet (Win9x)
* Uses Windows Modem Drivers For Simple Setup
* Security Restriction When User Log-On Option Is Used
* Multiple Department User/Group Lists
* Manage Shared User/Group Lists
* Easily Runs On Any Work Station or Server
* Adjustable Scheduling
* Error Notification And Deliver Notification To Clients
* E-Mail Paging (MX,SMTP, POP3, Windows Messaging)
* Windows Messaging Support For E-Mail Paging
* Built In Web Server For Web Paging
* Built In SMTP Server For E-Mail Paging
* HDML Support for Cellular Web Browser Paging
* Detail Transaction Logging
* Multiple and Printable Reports
* And Many More Features
* Y2K Compliant

Microsoft fights again IM spammers.

2009-07-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

Redmond files law suit against firm accused of spimming Windows Live Messenger customers.

Microsoft has filed a law suit against mobile ringtone firm as part of its ongoing efforts to clamp down on instant messaging spam messages, which it says undermines users’ online privacy and security.

In a blog posting, Microsoft associate general counsel for internet safety enforcement, Tim Cranton, said Redmond is alleging that Funmobile “conducted a significant campaign to undermine the privacy of Windows Live Messenger customer accounts and to ‘spim’ our customers’ contacts”.

Microsoft is seeking to recover monetary damages as well as an immediate injunction to stop the activity. “Above all, we hope the lawsuit will send a clear message to all potential perpetrators that this kind of activity is not tolerated on our networks,” wrote Cranton.

Microsoft is alleging that Funmobile sent bogus IMs to customers, who were then asked for their IM username and password to log in. Once obtained by the company, these were then used to gain access to these accounts.

“They then ‘scraped’ or ‘harvested’ the contacts within each user’s account, and sent unsolicited bulk IMs to each of his or her contacts,” wrote Cranton.

Mickael Remond, chief executive of enterprise IM provider ProcessOne said the case highlights the dangers of using public IM clients.

“As enterprises increasingly use IM and chat applications for internal and customer communications, security is more important than ever,” he added.

“Enterprises need to be able to define the scope of their IM communications, and be able to set secure parameters. One of the benefits of IM over e-mail for enterprise security is actually that you can blacklist servers that can't be trusted, but also whitelist servers - for clients and partners, for example – who can be trusted.”

Phil Muncaster
V3.co.uk, 18 Jul 2009
Source: http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2246328/microsoft-clamps-im-spam

Are You Sure About Your Instant Messaging Software Safety?

2009-07-19T23:51:00.000-07:00

Instant messaging communication is a general and simple computer process involving PC users all over the world. It exists in peer to peer, spoken, written or gesticulated form. Today I'm going to concentrate on an instant messaging type of communication due to the fact that a vulnerability was identified in Lotus Instant Messenger. I suppose most of you know what instant messaging is. In fact, the name instant messaging can speak for itself. A potential denial-of-service vulnerability can be prompted by certain malformed Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) records which make the IBM® Global Security Toolkit (GSKIT) component fail and thus provoke the application to terminate.

I suppose that most of you really know what Instant messaging is. However, in order to know more about it, let me remind you briefly what it is. Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is transmitted through devices connected over a network like the Internet. Next, do you know what Web conferencing is? Web conferencing is used to organize live meetings or presentations through the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants through the Internet. This can be either a downloaded application on a computer of each of the attendees, or a web-based application where the attendees go to a URL or in other words website address, to get in the conference.

So what is IBM Lotus Sametime? According to Wikipedia, IBM Lotus Sametime is a client-server application and middleware platform that offers real-time, unified communications and collaboration for enterprises. Those capabilities involve presence information, enterprise instant messaging, web conferencing, community collaboration, and telephony capabilities and integration.

Some features of Lotus Instant Messaging might be similar to other well-known instant messaging programs on the net, for example Skype or Yahoo! Messenger. One of the files related to Skype include but are not limited to the following: SkypeIEPlugin.dll. Also, some of the files related to Yahoo! Messenger might include but are not limited to the following: YAHOOM~1.EXE and ymsgr_tray.exe.

How can attackers exploit the Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing vulnerability? The Sametime server in IBM Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing 6.5.1 creates error messages for a failed logon attack with different time delays which depend on whether the user account exists. This allows remote attackers to enumerate valid usernames.M3.jpg

Sametime integrates with a wide array of software, including Lotus collaboration products, Microsoft Office productivity software which incorporates Microsoft Outlook, portal and Web applications. Some of the files related to Microsoft Office might include but are not limited to the following: bcmsqlstartupsvc.exe, mofl.dll and owc11.dll. Also, some of the files related to Microsoft Outlook include but are not limited to the following: ACCWIZ.DLL, cb5.dll, DATAACC.EXE, EFD.EXE and gapi.dll. This vulnerability only affects IBM Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing (Sametime) servers that have configured SSL connections with their LDAP server. What is the solution to this security issue? In order to fix this particular problem, customers should upgrade their version of GSKit. When and how should they upgrade GSKit? What particular version of GSKit should you upgrade to? The answer is provided below:

* Sametime 2.5 and earlier versions did not contain GSKit; so no action is not needed for these customers;
* Windows servers: GSKit version 6.0.5.41 and any higher version of 6.0.5.xx does not contain the vulnerability.

Source: http://www.pc1news.com/news/0834/are-you-using-instant-messaging.html

IM Applications for IPhone. What's new in instant messaging software tools?

2009-07-17T02:12:00.001-07:00

When push notification was installed to the iPhone system, a many of people were trying Instant Messagess pushed to their iPhone. I’d always figured Instant messaging applications were based around the “instant” part of the phrase, and someone pushing an IM to me might be disappointed if I don’t get back to them right away. Well, guess who’s been a big iPhone Instant Messenger since 3.0 came out? Go on, you’ll never guess. Yep, it’s me. I’d like my crow with a side of au jus, and a loaded baked potato, please.

First a quick word of warning: by no means are my comments here to be construed as any sort of a formal review. While I’ve tried to run all of these apps through their paces, I wouldn’t feel comfortable calling any of my comments a review — they’re more like first impressions.

That said, while there are 10 apps we tested out, it quickly became clear to me this was a race between Beejive and IM+ Push. The important criteria for me were: the ability to connect to multiple IM protocols (and multiple accounts of the same protocol), the ability to do push notifications, and the app not requiring its own server-side account to operate. Price, as they say, was no object. When you get right down to it, the difference between many of these apps is only $5-7. My afternoon brownie indulgence costs more than that.

Over the last week, I’ve been receiving push notifications from at least one of these apps during testing, if not more than one, and I didn’t notice a detrimental effect on my battery life — with the usual disclaimer that if I spent my entire train ride home IMing friends, I’d see a battery hit.

Without further ado, here are my findings.

IM+ with PushIM+ Push ($9.99)

IM+ Push is a very full-featured app with two specific features I enjoyed: I can set how long I’m online for up to three days (perfect for getting through a weekend); and I can change the wallpaper behind the messages. However, I found the app overall a tad on the slow side. As a speed comparison, by the time I had opened IM+ and viewed the IM, I would have also replied to the IM in Beejive. While it does claim to connect to Skype, I had some issues getting it connected, and never got a push from Skype.

IM+ LiteIM+ Lite (Free)

IM+ Lite is the free version of IM+ Push and the only differences between the two are that you can’t change the wallpaper and the push notifications are email only.

BeejiveBeejive ($9.99)

I found Beejive to be the fastest app in my tests. I could very quickly see what IMs had arrived, preview them and reply to them. Like IM+, I can change the background, but I can only be online for up to 24 hours (which was the standard time period for all the apps). There was one nice feature I found in Beejive that I couldn’t find a corresponding setting for in IM+: I can set how long I show as “available” after I close the app. One of the chief complaints from people I was IMing during this test were the frequent “crumpy is available”/”crumpy is away” notifications they were receiving. By staying “available” for 20 minutes, the person I was IMing with had a much better experience. It was a minor detail I hadn’t thought of until a few people complained about it.

One other feature I liked is I can set how many IMs from contacts are shown when I launch the app. The default is I only see the most recent message from each contact, but I set it do display more, up to and including all messages.

AgileAgile Messenger with Push ($9.99)

For the price, I found Agile Messenger to be a very poor solution. You can only connect to one account of each protocol (I have two AIM accounts: my personal and a work one). I also found the type size on the IMs to be too small to read, and there was noticeable lag when typing.

AIMAIM ($2.99/Free)

There are two AIM apps from AOL, one that’s free and one that’s $2.99. I’m grouping them together since the only differences between the two are that the free one has ads and the paid version does not. While I found the app to be very responsive, there are two big issues I had: I can only be signed into one AIM account, and all push notifications have an SMS-style popup. I couldn’t stop the pop-ups, but I could control how much information was displayed — the ranges are from “new IM” to the full contents of the IM, including sender information. The only reasons I’d recommend this app is if money really is an object, you only have one AIM account, and don’t mind the obtrusive pop-ups.

YahooYahoo! (Free)

Well, about all I can say is, “Yep, it connected to Yahoo.” You can only connect to one Yahoo account and there is no push notification, nor any announced plans for push.

PalringoPalringo (Free)

In my tests, Palringo failed on liftoff. It requires a server-side account, and when I went to setup the account via the iPhone app, the captcha image didn’t even display — really, who needs captcha on an iPhone app? The app does not currently do push, although as of this writing they have submitted a push version for approval. At this point, for a free IM app, I’d recommend IM+ Lite over this one.

skypeSkype (Free)

Since the purpose of this article is IM apps, I’m going to gloss over the voice portion of the Skype app, which is arguable its greatest benefit. However, I was able to connect to my Skype account and IM with friends just fine. There are no push notifications for IMs, however.

Fuze MessengerFuze (Free)

Fuze is another one that requires its own server-side account to run. You can also only connect to one account of each protocol, and there are no push notifications. Also, for some reason even after quitting the app, it kept me online, but I didn’t receive a test message I sent myself when I logged back in. As with Palringo, if you need an IM app that’s free, go with IM+ Lite.
Chart of Instant Messenger Features

For free apps, IM+ Lite blew the doors off the competition. I could connect to multiple protocols and multiple accounts.

In the paid category, while it was a close race, I felt Beejive edged out IM+ Push. While the ability to stay online longer than 24 hours was nice, I felt the speed and the ability to quickly see received IMs edged Beejive over the finish line.

Source: http://theappleblog.com/2009/07/15/10-instant-messaging-apps-for-the-iphone/
Author:

Secure Peer-to-Peer Networks Give Trust to File Exchange.

2009-07-13T00:26:00.000-07:00

These local Peer-2-Peers LANs let you transfer files of any kind with your close friends only, wasting concerns over virus dangers that have discouraged many people from using public file-sharing networks like Kazaa, Emule, Torrent.

Jackson West, PC World

Stephane Herry says that he founded his private file-sharing network GigaTribe out of frustration at not being able to share files with his friends on Kazaa. Every time he searched for a file that he knew a friend had uploaded, he saw only similar files uploaded by strangers.

Why not, Herry thought, create a peer-to-peer (P2P) application that permitted only trusted sources to share files? Such a network would be far more secure, because you’d be sharing files exclusively with people you know and trust--not with complete strangers, some of whom may wittingly or unwittingly be spreading viruses.

Herry’s idea is proving to be popular. Some of the biggest names in public peer-to-peer file sharing now offer private alternatives. In its latest release, venerable file-sharing client LimeWire now allows users to share files privately with contacts that it pulls from Google or LiveJournal contact lists. Azureus Vuze, a popular BitTorrent client, added a FriendBoost feature to speed torrent downloads by sharing them within a group of trusted users.

In the past few years, private file sharing has evolved, steadily improving in speed, security, and functionality. Depending on what you're looking for, you can probably find a software product or Web app that’s perfectly suited to help you and your friends (or coworkers) share anything from spreadsheets to home movies legally, safely, and privately.

We took a look at four applications that promise secure, efficient file sharing among private groups: QNext, GigaTribe, 2Peer, and LogMeIn's Hamachi.
QNext

QNext; click for full-size image.File sharing is just one of the features offered by QNext. It's primarily designed to serve as an integrated communications suite, with IM, voice, and video-chat components. But it also allows you to share files securely--with no size restrictions--and it has special photo and music capabilities as well. Finally, QNext even lets you gain remote access to your computer through a standard Web browser.

Installation and set up are painless. You simply download the software (QNext is available from PC World's Downloads library), install it, and create an account--and you can begin adding IM accounts and creating folders of files that you want to share. Network configuration and input device detection--for hardware such as microphones and cameras--is automatic. To add friends, you enter your log-in data for popular instant messaging systems like AIM and Google Talk, and then ask your friends to download, install, and register for QNext.

Once you have one or more friends enrolled in your list of QNext contacts, you can set up shared folders through “zones.” Click File, Share Content to open the QNext explorer. Then click Share Folders and Files and drag and drop the data you want to share. You can set up secure sharing by adding only QNext contacts, or you can make the files publicly available to anyone with a Web browser by selecting 'Broadcast to Web browsers'.

The interface of the application opens with a vertical list of contacts from the IM accounts that you added during initial setup. You gain access to more features, options, and settings by clicking the blue monitor icon for the Explorer. In the Explorer you set up groups of shared files and folders, as well as permissions for access--one folder could be public, another could be for one specific user. The Explorer is also where you manage other settings, including chat, video, and audio. From there, you can set up shared files and folders, and browse and search data that others have shared with you.

One particularly nice aspect of QNext is that other users needn't have the application installed in order to receive messages, shared files, or photos, or even to listen to music streamed from your shared library. QNext's servers make much of your content available publicly via browsers, if you wish, so you can simply send a URL over IM or e-mail. If you want the transfers to be private and secure, however, both parties must have QNext installed.

You'll also need to have QNext turned on and running if you or your contacts need to access the data or use the machine via remote access. This is great if you have a machine at home or at the office that is online around the clock anyway. If you use a laptop, turning off your machine, letting it lapse into sleep or standby mode, or losing your Internet connection will cut off anyone who is connected to a download or stream from one of your music playlists.

Another potential bottleneck is bandwidth. Contacts can access files and streams only as fast as your machine can upload--and since most personal users on networks have limited upstream bandwidth, simultaneously downloading or streaming more than a few files music from your machine will quickly push it to the limit.

QNext is a free download available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Versions for the iPhone, the iTouch, and Google Android-powered smartphones are currently in the beta stage.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/168011/private_p2p_networks_add_trust_to_file_sharing.html

Opera Browser Application Unite – File Sharing, Instant Messaging, Note Taking & more.

2009-07-09T04:49:00.001-07:00

Unite is a ‘plugin’ that was installed to a version of Opera 10 Beta. It’s an incredibly small server integrated into the Opera browser. This platform enables you to run various plugins or mini applications that accomplish different tasks such as file sharing, note sharing, photo sharing, secure notes and instant messaging.

Unite eliminates the need for a third party server that would normally proxy or relay the content, such as Yahoo Messenger, Flickr, Twitter. It’s essentially like setting up a web server on your own computer, without the hassle of manually installing various software, configuring them and getting a DNS (Domain Name System) account. It also makes the installation of new functionality a “point and click” process.

You will now be able to start any of the services listed in the left sidebar, such as file sharing. They are designed to be extremely easy to use. For example, to enable File Sharing, click on the File Sharing icon and then on Start. To protect your privacy, it will ask you to select the folder that you want to share.

After you click the OK button, a web page will open that will showcase the content you selected in the previous step. On the left, you’ll see your files, on the right the instructions for sharing with your friends and the permissions. All your friend has to do to access the files is to paste the link given in the right sidebar. A regular webpage will appear in your friend’s browser along with download links for all the files.

All the files are hosted on your computer and are never transferred to Opera’s servers. For the duration you wish to allow users to connect to your Unite services, you need to have the computer and browser open. Be aware that transferring unencrypted sensitive information is not recommended, as all transfers are done using HTTP. The Photo, Media and File Sharing use the same underlying technology while adding specific controls for each media type like a Flash music player and photo thumbnails.

This technology is not limited to the 5 bundled applications: Fridge (secure notes), Lounge (instant messaging), Photo and File Sharing, Media Player. It’s open to developers and uses well-known open standards such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Below is a screenshot of the Lounge, a quasi-instant messaging application. To invite other people, the host needs to send a link to the other participants. They can use any modern web browser to join the discussion. It is similar in functionality to a private IRC channel.

The Fridge application lets you leave notes for friends or yourself, similar to the ‘Wall’ on Facebook or direct messaging in Twitter.

You can write applications — in the form of Opera Unite Services — that use this server to serve content to other Web users. Why is this exciting? Well, it allows you to interact with contacts, sharing data and services without the need for any third-party Web sites/applications to be involved at all. –Opera Developer Blog

Opera lets the geeks get a taste of the next paradigm shift in web browsing, a great way to win hearts, minds and developers. I’ve radically changed my tune about Opera after hearing from tens of fans and Thomas Ford, Communications Manager.

I invite each one of you to give Opera Unite a try. Download the alpha which is available for Windows, Mac and Linux; and let us know what you think in the comments. What applications should the developers start working on to further extend Unite’s functionality?

Author: Stefan is a computer science student who enjoys coding in C++, playing with 'network security' and supporting FLOSS. He's the guy behind the Tux Geek.

Secure Instant Messaging Issues

2009-06-18T02:10:00.000-07:00

Many people talk about safety in the corporation from intruders—including, perhaps, its own employees. But who's protecting your instant messages from hackers attacks? Most companies don't pay a big attention for some personal calls, e-mails, and IMs, as long as the privilege isn't abused. But don't forget—they can legally monitor conversations on their equipment, whether phone or computer. So not only are your e-mails fair game, but so are your IM sessions.

While we're sure your messages are entirely wholesome and aboveboard, we're equally sure there are some you'd rather not have bandied around the department or forwarded to everyone. Fortunately, you can secure your personal IM messages without too much difficulty. Bear in mind, however, that no encryption scheme prevents keystroke capturing or copying unencrypted text from the screen by spyware and monitoring software; the messages are encrypted only while in transit, on your network, or on the Internet.

AOL, Microsoft, and Yahoo! include encryption in the enterprise versions of their software, but the easiest way to encrypt personal IM sessions is to download IMSecure, from Zone Labs (www.zonelabs.com). The freeware version of this program will encrypt one IM account, and it also protects against buffer overflow IM exploits. AIM, MSN, or Yahoo! will all work with the freeware version. The Pro version encrypts multiple accounts and provides additional security features. Your correspondent must be running IMSecure as well; messages to recipients without the program are not encrypted.

IMSecure encrypts third-party, universal clients such as GAIM and Trillian, too. You can also find proprietary end-to-end encryption add-ons for MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. These function like IMSecure, but only for one product.

Another route to securing IM is to get a digital certificate. A Class 1 or personal digital certificate is issued by a certificate authority, which maintains a unique public key for your identity. We tested VeriSign's certificate system for AOL Instant Messenger, which costs $14.95 a year. The VeriSign solution is not actually integrated with AIM, but there are clear directions for acquiring and installing the certificate. You can also use the certificate to secure and encrypt e-mail.

You start by going to www.verisign.com/products/class1/aim/index.html. You can choose the 60-day free trial option or pay $14.95 a year with a credit card. After you fill out your name, billing information, and e-mail address, VeriSign sends an e-mail with a PIN number that allows you to pick up the digital certificate from its site with your browser. Once you have done so, your browser stores the ID. Next you export the ID to a file, following the instructions on VeriSign's site. You then import the certificate into AIM.

When you restart AIM, you will be asked for the security password, and AIM will start normally. Others who see your name on their buddy lists will see a lock icon next to your name, but there is no change in AIM's operation. When you initiate a session with another user who has a certificate, you will see a message at the bottom of the window that says "Encrypted conversation" and cites the user's name and certificate authority. If you use AIM from another machine, your buddies will not see the lock icon and messages will not be encrypted.

You can also get a free "personal e-mail certificate" from the VeriSign subsidiary Thawte (www.thawte.com/email/index.html). The certificate works with IM as well and interoperates with VeriSign certificates. To install and use it, follow the instructions on the AIM and VeriSign sites. MSN, Yahoo!, GAIM, and Trillian do not currently support Class 1 certificates.

Digital certificates use public-key encryption. Your public key is on the vendor's servers, and the other user's secure AIM session retrieves your key, encrypts the message, and sends it to you, where your session uses your stored private key to decrypt it. While publicly vetted encryption, as used by AIM, is generally preferable, the proprietary algorithms used by IMSecure and other add-ons are probably sufficient for most users' needs.

by Bill Machrone

Instant messaging applications (IM) with multiclient support.

2009-06-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

A lot of multiclient instant-messaging (IM) services have cropped up that allow computer users to chat with each other over the Internet. Some can be installed onto your desktop, while others can be accessed online on the Internet. In either case, they're worth trying out, if you want to enjoy a fine experience communicating with your friends.

Multiclient IM resources

Adium Adium is my favorite multiclient instant-messaging tool for a few reasons. It supports practically any IM platform around, including AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, MySpace, Google Talk (via Jabber), and more. It even has a plug-in for Skype.

You'll rarely have any trouble communicating with friends in the service. But its most redeeming quality is that it's open source. So, if you want to modify the code to fit your own IM desires, that's possible. And those in the open-source community are constantly improving the product, whose updates typically install with ease.

When you download Adium (it's available for Mac OS X), you'll have the option of choosing your IM service. By default, Adium takes on the same design as Mac OS X. But with the help of some plug-ins from Adium's site, called "Xtras," you can customize it as you see fit. Those add-ons include emoticons, dock icons, scripts, and more. I could go on about Adium, but I think that you get the point: if you're a Mac OS X user, it's worth trying out.
Adium

Adium takes on the look of Mac OS X by default.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Digsby Digsby is a multifaceted tool that lets you communicate with friends over instant messaging, e-mail, or social networks. I recently took a look at its social-networking capabilities. After having the opportunity to use its IM services, I was just as impressed.

After installing Digsby on my Windows PC (Mac and Linux versions are reportedly on the way), I was able to log in to my accounts on AIM, Yahoo Mail, Facebook, and others. Digsby's app is designed well, with a more attractive interface than Adium's default skin. Digsby also gives you the option of sending an SMS text message from the application. Overall, I liked Digsby.
Digsby

Digsby lets you chat with anyone at any time.
(Credit: Digsby)

eBuddy eBuddy is a Web-based multiclient instant-messaging app through which you can connect to AIM, Yahoo IM, MSN, Facebook, ICQ, and MySpace. Although it provides a bunch of options, eBuddy doesn't quite stand up to the competition. It's not as responsive as some of the other apps in this roundup, and I was unimpressed by its design. That said, I did like that I could view my Facebook friends' profiles by clicking on a link in the client. I also liked that the app opens in a separate window--I find it more convenient than switching to a tab. Plus, it's available for Android-based phones, as well as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.
eBuddy

eBuddy isn't the best-looking service, but it still works well.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Meebo Like eBuddy, Meebo is a Web-based instant-messaging tool that lets you communicate with friends on AIM, MySpace, Yahoo, and MSN. You can also chat with Facebook and Google Talk friends.

When you go to the Meebo home page, you have the option of inputting your credentials for any of those services. The instant messaging on Meebo is outstanding. It's the same interface for all the sites, but you can get buddies' contact information, see their Facebook status, and even check out their entire Facebook profile by clicking on the appropriate link, which opens the profile in another tab. Meebo is one of the more popular multiclient IM tools on the Web for good reason--it's simple, responsive, and boasts support for a variety of clients. Even better, you can use it on your iPhone.
Meebo

Meebo lets you chat with your Facebook friends.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Pidgin Similar to Adium, Pidgin is an open-source IM client that allows you to modify it as you wish. If you don't want to do that, you'll still be satisfied with the software.

Once installed, Pidgin gives you the option of signing into your various IM accounts. You can chat with friends on AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, MySpace, and others at the same time. It's not as good-looking as some of its competitors, but it's designed more for the power user who wants to be able to chat with as many people at a time as possible. Pidgin is ideally suited for Windows machines, so that may be a problem for some. If you want to use an open-source instant-messaging platform on a Mac, Adium is your best bet.
Pidgin

Pidgin asks you to create accounts when you first start it up.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Trillian Trillian is a desktop IM client that supports instant messaging on AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and Internet Relay Chat. Unfortunately, it's available only to Windows users at this time. The company is promising Mac and iPhone support in its follow-up version of the software, called Trillian Astra.

Overall, I was really impressed by Trillian. It supports the standard features like group chat, audio chat, and the option to view profiles. But having the ability to change skins was quite appealing. I was able to customize the experience to match my tastes. From dark to bright, there's at least one skin for everyone. Trillian is, quite simply, the most beautiful multiclient IM service in this roundup. If you want more functionality (such as bringing in your Google Talk contacts), you can also buy Trillian Pro, which costs $25.

Source:http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10264755-2.html
Author: Don Reisinger

Do You Use Instant Messaging (IM) Chat online?

2009-06-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Instant Messaging software (IM), we thought we had it made in the shade when we stumbled over this unique way to communicate! Outside of talking face-to-face on the phone, IM was the next best thing. Texting instant communication was endless and cost was nonexistent. Well, those were the good old days of yore - you know, those days of glorious innocence.

Just as we were getting oh so comfortable, happily IMing away to each other, then came the cloak-and-dagger entrance of the treacherous “IM villains”. With their ominous arrival, the party abruptly ended. It seemed like overnight, our instant messaging (IM) turned into instant mercenaries, and the carnage was strewn all over the Internet.

First, it was one by one, then the numbers increased and starting growing exponentially, as friends began receiving, and inadvertently sending, viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Then it went from bad to worse, as report after report surfaced describing the grisly results of innocent victims losing their identity because these villains had accessed their personal and confidential information. Truly this was the darkest of times for all IMer friends - regardless of the IM service we were texting on.

How could this have happened? And more importantly, how can we protect ourselves?

Well, I found out that these villainous hackers had accessed a nifty little program originally designed to benefit us, and twisted it to intercept our conversations traveling across the internet. They now have a profitable tool to use that intercepts our data packets and sends us a virus, and duplicates it by sending the same ugly bug to everyone on our Buddy List.

Once a hacker has gained access to our Buddy List, they trick our friends into thinking WE, (a trusted source), are sending them a file to download. Then when our friends innocently download the file, these villains can then access their computers as well, and use the personal and confidential information gathered to line their own pockets. How it affected businesses whose employees used IM to communicatewell, I will just let your imagination take over from therebecause the hackers let theirs do the same.

A lot of us were thinking that we had nothing to worry about because we had anti-virus software on our computers, and that provided the protection we needed. Wrong!

Anti-virus software is not designed to protect our data packets traveling across the internet. There are still no anti-virus applications that directly monitor IM traffic. This is due to the difficulty in finding IM traffic as it is often embedded inside http packets. And what is worse yet is that Forrester’s, Root stated that “In 2005 and 2006, we expect IM to get hit with some serious attacks”

But, don’t despair! I have discovered a cure!

In fact, I discovered the best of both worlds. What I have found is a computer phone (in “techy” terms known as VoIP - voice over internet protocol) that is optimally secure. One of the many features of the computer phone is the IM that is built into it. Thus, the IM instant messages are sent over optimally secure lines rather than openly public lines on the Internet — AND I can also actually talk to friends from my computer phone any time I want. The “good old days of yore” are back with even more !!!

Here’s what a computer phone is all about.

The computer phone was the creation resulting from taking the convenience and features of the telephone and combining it with the power of the Internet. Pretty ingenious I think! Although most computers have a built in microphone, some do not. Mine was one of those computers that did not. So, I ran down to a local store and bought one for $5. Then, much to my delight, I found out that it easily plugged into the back of my computer.

Here is what is really incredible about a computer phone. I can talk, IM, make 3-way calls, transfer a call to my cell phone if I am running out the door, and much, much more.

Actually, I have become so accustomed to the convenience of the features on my computer phone, that it actually becomes frustrating when I cannot IM a friend I am talking to on their cell phone or telephone. You see, often times, I find great sites to share with my friends, so I have to slowly spell out the location over the phone and repeat the letters so they get the right site, then wait for them to repeat it back to me, rather than quickly IMing them the site and letting them click on it right then and there.

One final word of wisdom — over 90% of all computer phone (VoIP) services out there do not operate on secure lines. The one I am using is optimally secure because they have their own proprietary high end encryption codec (code) with patented technology that is hosted in a professional facility. You just can’t get any better than that!

Want to try a computer phone out for yourself?

You can download the software and try it out for 7 days absolutely free and without any contract, obligations, or hassles. Here’s the place to visit http://www.free-pc-phone.com Oh, and yes, you will love this.if you use a dial up connection to the internet, these computer phones work too, in addition to satellite, cable, and wireless connections.

Writen by Dee Scrip.

Dee Scrip is a well-known and respected published author of numerous articles on VoIP, VoIP security, and other VoIP related issues. http://www.free-pc-phone.com

Companies controls use of instant messaging software within an office environment.

2009-06-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Modern companies have been advised to control workers' use of instant messaging rather than blocking it outright.

A new guide to securing instant messaging is the latest in the ‘Securing Social Media' series of guides from Network Box, and claims that companies are increasingly finding that their employees are often using instant messaging for a business reason such as customer contact, or contact with remote teams.

However Network Box claimed that many instant messaging services are not secure, and so IT managers should control which services are used and secure them effectively.

Simon Heron, internet security analyst at Network Box, claimed that employee education is the most important factor in securing instant messaging. Heron said: “We need to go through a similar education process with employees as for spam email.

“Broadly, the messages for employees are: only use the service approved by your IT department, don't trust anyone you don't know, don't click on shared links, keep your personal details to yourself, log out when you've finished, and keep your IM service and anti-virus systems up to date.”

The guide advises on the agreement of an instant messaging platform, whether employee access will be granted and ensuring that it is updated and secure.

It also claims that messaging should be monitored, stating: “It is important to ensure employees understand that this is a company system, in the same way that the telephone or email systems belong to the company. Instant messaging shouldn't be abused by employees any more than email or telephone should be. Set clear guidelines as to what instant messaging use is acceptable.”

How Instant Messaging Helps You In Fight Against Financial Crisis.

2009-06-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

There are lot ways that a hosted IM client can help you in today’s economical situation, whether you are unemployed or not. If you ARE employed, of course you can use a hosted Instant Messaging program to help you communicate with your co-workers, employees, and supervisors, along with clients. If you are unemployed, however, you can still used secure IM to your advantage. Even though you may not have a full-time job, you can use Instant Messaging software to network with acquaintances, colleagues, and others. You’ll never know what someone knows someone else who can give you the recommendation, tip, or introduction you need in order to secure the job of your dreams!

Communication skills are crucial in ANY job field, and instant messaging can only improve your communication (and typing!) skills. Since I have started using instant messaging on a daily basis, my typing speed (words per minute) has only improved. I can now almost type 70 words per minute! Being able to practice my typing every day only keeps my accuracy and speed up to date. So, in conclusion, if you have former co-workers and employers on your IM list, keep them on there. You’ll never know when they will think of you for a job opening they heard of!

Unified Communications (UC) Is Brought By Mitel-Itec To Mid-Market.

2009-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Johannesburg, 3 June 2009 - Mitel, a leading provider of IP business communications solutions, has partnered with Itec South Africa in anticipation of huge growth in the local IP telephony market. Both companies believe IP telephony will dominate developments in the telecoms sector over the next 18 months.

In terms of the agreement, Itec has been named an accredited Mitel distributor for South Africa.

“The partnership will enable Mitel to significantly expand its route to market as it allows us to take advantage of Itec's well-established national footprint,” says Andy Bull, director at Mitel. “There are natural vertical and horizontal synergies between our two companies; we help people respond to real world business challenges with communication solutions that drive productivity, improve performance and reduce costs.”

Frank Mullen, chief operating officer of Itec Enterprise Solutions, says the partnership, which is aimed at the medium enterprise segment, forms part of the group's ongoing strategy to join forces with companies which products complement its own. “Mitel is a leader in unified communications, integrated business applications and research and development,” he says. “This agreement enables us to offer real value-added solutions to our clients, and means we can leverage Mitel's expertise in IP telephony.”

IP telephony uses the Internet's packet-switched connections to exchange information that has traditionally been carried over the telephone network. Calls travel as packets of data on shared lines, which enable companies to lower telecoms costs as they no longer pay Telkom fees.

This aggregation of voice, video and data onto a single IP-based network, known as unified communications, encompasses all aspects of an organisation's communication requirements, including e-mail, SMS, fax, voice and video.

“It combines multiple IT capabilities, enabling an efficient approach to communicating,” says Bull. “It's a level of location-independent communication, which means that work is where you are, not where your office is.”

Among the benefits of unified communications are lowered costs, improved employee efficiency and productivity, enhanced responsiveness to customers, suppliers and partners, and streamlined IT management, along with lower total cost of ownership.

One of the flagship products to be distributed by Itec is the Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platform (ICP). It provides organisations with a highly scalable, feature-rich communications system designed to support businesses of all sizes. The 3300 ICP offers enterprise IP-PBX capability, as well as embedded applications, including standard unified messaging, auto-attendant, ACD and wireless.

It operates across virtually any LAN/WAN infrastructure, and provides seamless IP networking. It also gives companies the opportunity to IP-enable their legacy PBXes so that they can protect their existing investments while still deriving all the benefits of a converged infrastructure.

At user level, the 3300 ICP supports a large range of desktop devices, including entry-level IP phones, Web-enabled IP devices, wireless handsets, and full-duplex IP audio conference units. It also supports applications, including multimedia collaboration, mobility, customer relationship management and unified messaging.

Corporate Instant Messaging Service For BlackBerry From Intermedia

2009-05-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

May 27, 2009 - Software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider specializing in messaging and collaboration solutions, Intermedia, has unveiled an instant messaging and presence solution that allows business users to engage in secure instant message conversations from BlackBerry smartphones to colleagues working at their desks.

Serguei Sofinski, CEO of Intermedia offered, '''Host OCS 2007 on the BlackBerry is another first to market achievement for Intermedia. We continuously strive to help our small and medium business customers compete more effective.''

This Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 (OCS) for BlackBerry solution is designed to go beyond basic wireless email synchronization to better connect mobile and remote employees with their offices for increased collaboration and productivity. Intermedia's offering is the first hosted version of OCS for the BlackBerry platform.

Rachi Messing, Vice President of Technology Services for DiscoverReady LLC, an Integrated Discovery Management solutions provider and Intermedia customer remarked, ''Having instant messaging and presence through OCS 2007 on our BlackBerry devices makes it easier for our staff to be in constant contact and able to share information. Intermedia's services have greatly improved communications and productivity for our company and this new offering is an excellent extension of that.''

This offering is an extension of Intermedia's existing hosted OCS 2007 service, which Intermedia was also first to launch in February 2008. OCS 2007 is a business instant messaging platform that integrates with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook to provide secure communication and integrated presence. Presence capabilities allow users to immediately determine at-a-glance their colleague's status - available, busy, away and offline - enabling them to quickly connect with available colleagues. The OCS for BlackBerry solutions extends these capabilities to mobile users when they are out of the office. Combined, the two solutions provide small business customers with enterprise-grade unified communications tools that greatly increase collaboration and productivity at a price they can afford.

A recent Osterman Research study on instant messaging shows that mobile IM grew 18% in 2008, the fastest growing segment of the IM market. Osterman identifies 'traveling employees' and 'senior technical managers' as the biggest users of mobile IM. 52% of the study's participants responded that enabling users to use IM on mobile devices is either important or extremely important to them.

Business users already heavily rely on their BlackBerry smartphones for telephone and wireless email communications. The OCS for Blackberry solution adds secure instant messaging and presence, to fill in the missing gap, and provide true remote connectivity and productivity capabilities to mobile workers.

Founded in 1995, Intermedia is the leading provider of business email including Microsoft Exchange hosting to the small and medium business market. Intermedia specializes in providing enterprise-grade solutions through its world class infrastructure and service to small and medium businesses at a price they can afford.

Twitter VS Instant Messaging. What's next?

2009-05-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

As time goes on I become more and more attracted by twitter. It’s amazing how it’s been connecting me more realtime with people I’d never be in contact with, and allows me to really build community relationships. It’s really becoming powerful.

It’s probably not fair to compare Twitter to live instant messenger, but I think it’s fair time that MS take a wake up call or two from the potential of twitter and how it will impact the enteprise. I know the SharePoint team has to take it seriously. Obviously I’m a HUGE MS Fan, and I’m not loosing my MS Religion. Twitter is not political, and I hope that it stays that way.

5 reasons why I’m spending less time invested with instant messaging and spending that time with Twitter… Instant messaging software isn’t dead, especially in the corporation, but it sure is taking some lumps and loosing some eyeballs for good reason. Hopefully this means innovation and we’ll see some magical integration. Do I hear a mashup?

Why didn’t cell phones replace LAN lines? We did make cordless LAN phones, but we never integrated the functionality to give you a LAN line when you walk into your office. There are some form factor decisions, but I think we could even get past that with the proper blue tooth devices. It’s always a challenge for the new technology to put out the old because that’s not the design.

(Love to hear how Bob Fox has seen a shift in his Messenger use vs.his Twitter life for example)

1. I choose how I get bombarded/interrupted. With Twitter I decide what comes to me as a text message (nothing), and what comes as an email, and what pops up on the screen. With the more real time nature of IM, I find the conversations are forced to happen more real time where my twitter conversations can happen naturally over days. My really real friends can text me if they HAVE to contact me super real time.

2. With Live Messenger the 100 or so contacts I have are overwhelming, it’s tough to find people that are even in my list. I know I’ve got groups, but the displays and profiles are not easy to manage. The APIs in twitter allow me to use a non proprietary client which puts me more in control of how I manage my account or accounts. (Thanks Windows Live for pulling all those people out of facebook. Still not sure whether I should have done that.)

3. My Mobile to Desktop and visa versa experience is so much more seamless in twitter. With the rich GUIs and the simple twitter API I find it much more smooth to get up and move from device to device. With IM, I have to finish a conversation before getting up from my desktop.

4. Instant Messaging isn’t as Social – The design of IM was never to meet new people, so that aspect isn’t really strong with IM. With twitter it’s the ability for other people to join in and enrich the conversation that really takes things to another level. That’s why I’d prefer to have public conversations in the public. If someone has a SharePoint question, it’s much better on a public forum like a newsgroup or twitter. :)

5. Instant Messaging Status hasn’t been flushed out… needs to evolve – I don’t want to be so accessible when I’m “Online.” I want to have different status’s to different people. Todd Bleeker has some really good ideas that fell on deaf ears when he mentioned this to the messaging team. I want to tell work people I’m OOF, I want to tell my top tier friends I’m online and accessible, and I want to say I’m away for the masses. Make sense? The away says don’t bother me unless you need to. With twitter I can spend as little or as much time as I need to looking at the tiered information of direct messages and replies and respond to those that make sense at the time. With multiple concurrent IM conversations I feel bad not responding, but often I will. I don’t want to have to. The line of text we now get in IM is a step toward the integration of the two and the ability to have a richer status. I can say I’m travelling and where I am, so work people will know I’m on the road, but how accessible I’m trying to be still isn’t conveyed. If you don’t know someone how approachable are you really? Via Twitter the non-invasive “you choose how to be impacted” technology says… you don’t mind being contacted.

Source: http://www.sharepointjoel.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=0cd1a63d-183c-4fc2-8320-ba5369008acb&ID=230

Free Chat Encryption For Instant Messaging (IM) Presented By BitDefender

2009-05-26T04:54:00.000-07:00

Like email messages, Instant Messaging (IM)software too suffers from the threat of malicious intruder. IM have become all-pervasive; at every location where a PC user access his/her IM account, faces the risk of being observed by hackers. You can never know who’s got an eye on your private conversations. There are several things you can do to make sure your chatting experience in instant messaging environments remains safe and secure such as never, ever give out personal information in a chat room, etc.

BitDefender Chat Encryption is a freeware program that controls your instant messages safe from hijacking through a simple and automatic encryption process. It protects your confidential documents and your instant messaging conversations through Yahoo! Messenger (8.1 or newer) and Windows Live (MSN) Messenger (v8.5 or newer).

To use BitDefender Chat Encryption, you just have to make sure the persons you are talking to install on their computer the same encryption tool or a BitDefender product, version 2009 or higher.

Main features of BitDefender Chat Encryption are: The tool does not require any password or other special settings. When a conversation is initiated, the encryption procedure begins automatically. Its top level encryption guarantees that only you and your contact have access to your IM conversations.

Requirements: Windows XP SP2 (32 bit), Windows Vista (32 bit), Yahoo! Messenger v8 or higher, Windows Live Messenger v8.5 or higher

Geodesic Company Finished Acquisition Of Instant Messaging Co Interactive Networks Inc

2009-05-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

After announcing its plans to acquire a South American messaging business in February, BSE listed firm Geodesic Ltd has completed the acquisition of Interactive Networks Inc (INI), a Montevideo, Uruguay. The amount paid to acquired a 100% stake in the company, which will now be a subsidiary of Geodesic, has not been disclosed. INI was founded in 1999, and in 2007, they had raised (translation)$800,000 from venture capital firm Properitas Capital Partners.

The acqusiition is in line with Geodesic’s focus on the messaging business, with its Mundu portfolio of solutions: while one may question the need for Geodesic to acquire INI instead of developing its own products, the company gets access to products and a client base by virtue of this deal.

Last year, Geodesic had acquired Internet Telephony company Phonestack. Note that the company is yet to officially confirm this.

Products

INI specializes in secure private instant messaging (IM) solutions for enterprises, as well as Instant Messaging solutions for mobile operators. Operators can offer PC and Web IM clients to both subscribers and non-subscribers, allowing conversations through SMS and MMS. The platform allows sending of PC to mobile and Mobile to PC text messages, voice clips, photos etc. These capabilities will allow Geodesic to offer a greater range of messaging applications to their client base of telecom operators, handset manufacturers and media companies. Last year, INI had introduced a new version of its instant messaging application for financial institutions. INI also has web based video chat room solutions.

Importantly, Interactive Networks brings with it a client base of 12 major carriers across South America, Africa and Asia, and this will allow Geodesic to offer its Mundu portfolio of services to the same set of clients. Note that INI’s website does not specify the names of its clients, nor are there any inputs on the time span of these deals.

Secure and encrypted instant messaging applications.

2009-05-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

Being security-conscious isn’t an admission that you have info you’d be ashamed to share. It’s about not willing to broadcast every detail of your person to the fine folks in the IT department at work, or who-knows-who at the neighborhood cafe.

If you are interested in security and safety when we talk about an instant messaging, you have many options for encrypted IM. A reminder: IM encryption means ‘more difficult to read’, not ‘impossible to read’. Here’s a list of instant messenger encryption options and overviews of their features. If you’ve used any of these your comments would be welcome.

IM Crypto.
The problem with IM Crypto is that the free version allows only one secured contact. Also limited IM client support: Yahoo messenger and ICQ only, and platform-wise only Windows 2000/XP/Vista, at least for now. The interface is attractive though.

Brosix.
It’s an encrypted IM client aimed at corporate customers. It’s not free, but it includes value-added features like White Board and Screen Sharing, and pricing is less than US$2/user per month.

Bitwise.
It looks like a feature-rich encrypted IM option for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, with conferencing, whiteboards, fast file transfers and file sharing, and quite a few other features. Variable pricing structure, but the ‘BitWise IM Personal’ basic service is free.

Secway.
This instant messaging application offers its Simp line of IM encryption tools, which support popular clients including MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ/AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Jabber/Google Talk. Simp Server (in beta) handles Unix/Linux/Mac OS X platforms and is free.

Pidgin.
A lot of people hold Pidgin, formerly known as Gaim, in high regard for instant messaging. You will find Pidgin-Encryption, over at Sourceforge, available for the Windows version of the Pidgin IM client and with Gaim 1.x releases.

Retroshare.
This messaging software is an attractive-looking option for instant messaging and filesharing, that essentially includes IM encryption. It is open-source, cross platform (Windows/OSX/Linux) and server-less: you simply send your friend a key to set up your own IM network.

X-IM.
First off, there’s X-IM, with its 256-bit strong encryption and firewall compatibility. Free for the standard version, but for secure file transfer, digitally signed documents, and an ad-free interface, you’ll need to go for the Pro version. It advertises its “improved functionality under Windows XP”, but it appears from the site that it does not support other platforms.

University Adopts Wireless LAN as Unified Data, Video, Voice Platform.

2009-05-12T02:19:00.000-07:00

SUNNYVALE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- North Carolina's Gardner-Webb University has installed a Meru Networks wireless LAN to support as the school's platform for unified data, instant messaging, voice and video communications for the next seven years.

The campus-wide Meru IEEE 802.11n draft 2.0 WLAN, installed in 2008, gives more than 4,000 students, faculty and teachers wireless access from every building and almost every outdoor space on Gardner-Webb's 200-acre campus. A residence hall now under construction will rely completely on the WLAN for all non-emergency intstant messaging communication, resulting in a ninety percent reduction in telecommunication costs for the new building.

Despite having built a state-of-the-art wired network - with a gigabit Ethernet port in every student's dormitory room - Gardner-Webb had been seeing a steady student migration to wireless connectivity over the past several years.

"We had invested in one of the best fixed networks at any university, yet that network couldn't meet the demands of an increasingly mobile student population," said Joseph Bridges, associate vice president of technology services at Gardner-Webb. Students wanted access to increasing amounts of online educational content without being tied to a physical port, while faculty members sought the freedom to work in the classroom, the office or at home - anywhere they could carry a laptop.

So the university, which had previously deployed wireless only on a sporadic basis using a mix of different vendors' products, decided it needed an enterprise-level wireless solution. Wayne Johnson, who manages purchasing for capital projects, undertook an extensive vendor evaluation in cooperation with the university CIO and network engineer. They knew from the outset they would go with a WLAN based on 802.11n, the highest-performance technology available ("we didn't want to have to upgrade again for 7-10 years"). Equally important was finding a system they could easily manage and grow.

Gardner-Webb selected Meru Networks on the basis of its virtual cell technology, which allows a single radio channel to be used by all wireless access points; if more capacity is needed, additional channels can be layered on top. In the micro cell approach used by other WLAN vendors, no two adjacent access points can be on the same channel, and three radio channels must be expended to provide a single layer of wireless coverage.

Meru APs Broadcast at 100 Percent Power; School Gains Extended Coverage Area "With Meru you get full value for the APs," Johnson said. "With other vendors you have to mitigate an AP's signal strength because of potential interference from a neighboring AP on another channel. But a Meru AP can always be broadcasting at 100 percent power." The single-channel approach also makes it easy to expand the system, he added. "We just put new APs where we need more coverage and the system automatically handles the new load without our having to do any channel planning. If we eventually fill up the channel we're using, we can add one or more channel layers on top of it. This basically guarantees us triple the bandwidth for our future needs - something no other vendor could offer." Johnson said the ability to use APs at full signal strength without interference concerns led to an unanticipated benefit: outdoor wireless coverage without having to mount access points outdoors.

"We had planned two APs for our Springs Athletic Facility. By positioning them indoors and at opposite ends of the building and using directional antennas outside, we're not only getting full coverage inside the facility but all the way across three athletic fields to our Softball Complex - nearly 1,000 feet away. That's major green-area coverage at a very low cost. I can have a crystal-clear conversation on my Avaya phone that whole distance. Once we get our full grid of antennas up, you'll be able to start a phone conversation at one end of campus and not lose coverage all the way to the other end. Laptop users will be able to do the same thing with SIP phones or softphones." New Building Cuts Telecom Costs by 90 Percent by Relying on Wireless A residence hall now under construction will be the first to be built without telephone lines or Ethernet ports installed in students' rooms - the only cabling will be for emergency phones. "Using wireless exclusively will cut our telecom costs by 90 percent for that dorm," Johnson said. "Students can rely on their cell phones, and will also have the option of using wireless SIP or H323 phones." Gardner-Webb uses Bradford Networks' Campus Manager for network access control, and its ability to interoperate with Meru's WLAN controllers allows the university to implement identical security policies across its wired and wireless networks. "Bradford's integration with Meru provides our front-line security for faculty, staff, students and visitors who come onto Gardner-Webb's campus," said Eric Brewton, network engineer. Bradford's policy enforcement prevents casual users from disrupting a mission-critical activities on the WLAN by verifying wireless client "clean access" policies and also provides emergency messaging to the university's wireless population.

In addition to the technology, Gardner-Webb considered the kind of wireless partner it wanted to work with. "We were looking for a company where wireless is the core business, not a division or a resold brand," Johnson said. "They had to understand the concept of 'partnership', and be willing to put their people on campus to get a deployment off the ground. And the company had to be financially stable - what good would it do me to buy a 10-year solution if I didn't think the company would be around for the future? Meru met all these criteria." Gardner-Webb's wireless deployment uses about 170 Meru AP320 dual-radio access points, which support the newest 802.11n standard but are also backward-compatible with earlier 802.11a/b/g standards. A Meru MC4100 controller provides centralized configuration and management for all APs on the network.

About Gardner-Webb University Located on a 200-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., 50 miles west of Charlotte in the Piedmont area, Gardner-Webb University offers 13 departments with 45 major fields of student. The school serves approximately 4,000 students from 39 states and 24 foreign countries in its undergraduate, graduate and adult learning programs, with the bulk of students majoring in business, education and social sciences. For more information, visit www.gardner-webb.edu.

About Meru Networks Founded in 2002, Meru Networks develops and markets wireless LAN infrastructure solutions that use virtualization to deliver pervasive, high-fidelity wireless service for business-critical voice, video and data applications. The company first introduced its award-winning virtual cell wireless architecture in 2003, and Meru products embody a complete departure from typical hub-based WLAN approaches, offering a wireless solution with levels of performance, reliability, security and cost-effectiveness previously found only in wired networking environments. Meru's solutions have been adopted in all major industry vertical markets, including Fortune 500 enterprises, healthcare, education, retail, manufacturing, hospitality and government. Meru is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300.

How To Protect Your Instant Messaging Environment?

2009-04-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Many PC users will confirm that we are paranoid about email security and hack attacks. We should equally be concerned about the other popular connection device we use – the internet instant messenger. It is also open to some of the privacy risks we associate with emails.

10 Tips for protect your-self in chat.

1. Don’t give out your identity

Every IM client asks you to create a screen name. A screen name usually refers to your email ID. Create a screen name which does not touch upon personal information or your real identity. For instance, my screen name is ‘Braniac’ and not ‘Saikat’. And NEVER provide any personal details including credit card numbers and social security number over the internet.

2. Don’t have deals with people not on your contact list

Always vet your contact list with people whom you know something about. Talking with Mr. Anonymous at the other end of space may be fraught with risk. It is possible to discover your computer address (i.e. your IP) from an instant message and that usually is the first requirement for a remote hack attack.
Don’t believe everything you read and always verify any information or request for information.

3. Don’t click on spam links
This is probably what you will be bombarded with first. A link tempts you to click it just for the lark. A lot of these links take you to websites which can install spyware stealthily on your computer. For e.g. Viruses and worms with colorful names such as W32.Yalove or W32/Spybot-MQ are potential threats to Yahoo users.
Ignore them.

4. Don’t share files with your chat partner

An IM client like Yahoo allows P2P file sharing. Do not share unknown content even if the person is known. P2P files, like email attachments can carry viruses, Trojan horses, and worms. They are engineered to seed themselves to other members on your buddy list. Be especially cautious when someone sends you an .exe or a .zip file.

5. Don’t let potential hackers reach you

Yahoo has an Ignore user or Report as spam so that he can’t disturb you once again. GTalk has a Block user option. Using this option allows you to keep out the unwanted from repeatedly messaging you. The default security settings in chat software tend to be relatively lax. Thus making you open to attacks. Check the settings and preferences of your chat client to apply stricter permission controls.

6. Don’t Neglect Encryption

Most IM clients lack encryption features. That essentially means that your messages can be tracked and read by eavesdropping hackers using technologies like packet sniffers or similar ones. Passwords are also a security loophole with hardly any client using strong password encryption.
The subject of encryption and strong password protection would require another post by itself. So I hand you over to Tim’s excellent post on How To Secure & Encrypt Your Instant Messaging Chats. Here at MakeUseOf.com we have a lot of posts tagged as ‘passwords’. Why not take a look at ways to set strong passwords.

7. Don’t use an older version of IM – Update

IM client companies spend a lot of effort behind doors to prevent backdoor threats. Newer versions come with bug fixes and enhanced security. For instance, the latest version of Yahoo IM is better integrated with anti-virus solutions like Norton Internet Security and Norton Anti-Virus.

So, always update your IM client as soon as one becomes available. If the chat client does not automatically prompt for an upgrade, go to the website and check your version number with the latest available. You can note the version of your particular client by clicking on Help – About…

8. Don’t download third party plug-ins from unverified sources

A lot of third party plug-ins are available for download which enhance the chatting experience. It is safer and advisable to always download from the IM client websites themselves or from verified sources.

9. Don’t forget to log-out completely

It is an oft repeated habit to click on the [X] button and exit. But this action does not close our IM client completely. Most often, they continue to run in the system tray leaving it ‘open’ for a third person to access it. IMs also have a nasty habit of broadcasting your online presence even if left to run as a background task. Especially in public computers be mindful of logging out and exiting completely. Also, never click on any Remember My Password checkbox during log-in as an added safeguard.
Yahoo has an Ignore user or Report as spam so that he can’t disturb you once again. GTalk has a Block user option. Using this option allows you to keep out the unwanted from repeatedly messaging you. The default security settings in chat software tend to be relatively lax. Thus making you open to attacks. Check the settings and preferences of your chat client to apply stricter permission controls.

10. Don’t forget the value of a good browser, a good firewall and an even better anti-virus

Sometimes we will click a link; sometimes we will download a file. All the precautions in the world will not be able to protect us if we don’t have a secure browser, a good firewall and an anti-virus updated with the latest virus signatures. These three not only protect us from IM attacks but they are the must-haves for any system. Check out our recommendations for security programs in our article about Essential Security Downloads. Or check the MakeUseOf Polls to find out what’s more popular among MakeUseOf readers.

Instant messaging system for LAN chat. Kouchat.

2009-04-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sharing files across the LAN needs configurations to systems and knowledge of all the local IP and can be done only with networking know how.But you can start to lan chat,transfer files across a network using KouChat is a simple serverless chat client for local area networks written in Java and it is also portable.

All that a user has to do is the start the application and a list of all users across the network who are logged in are shown, by default every user in the network is assigned a unique number and can be changed from Tools –> Settings (or) F4.kouchat-main-window

Each user needs to have this application on his machine, and just launch it by double clicking the (*.jar) file.

Features :

* Main chat
* Private chat - Double click on any user in the user list to start a private chat with that user.
* File transfer - Drag and drop files to send
* Click on a link to open the URL in your browser which can be set in Settings.
* Smileys
* Away messages

kouchat-settings
* See when someone writes
* System tray integration
* Sound notification
* Selectable text color for your user
* Logging - Press the up and down arrow buttons when the input text field has focus to navigate through the history.
* Topic
* No configuration needed
* Console mode

Hotkeys :

/help - show this help message
/about - information about KouChat
/clear - clear all the text from the chat
/whois - show information about a user
/names - show the user list
/nick - changes your nick name
/away - set status to away
/back - set status to not awaykouchat-file-transfer
/send - send a file to a user
/msg - send a private message to a user
/transfers - shows a list of all transfers and their status
/topic - prints the current topic, or changes the topic
// - send the text as a normal message, with a single slash

Requirements : Java SE 6

Download file : KouChat (.jar)

How To Secure Your Yahoo Messenger?

2009-04-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yahoo instant messenger has been one of the most known and full-optioned online chat clients the world has ever seen. With wide choice of options and buddies around, you can not just drop using Yahoo Messenger once you have grown used to it. But where there is crowd, there are risk factors too. Alarmingly people have lost their accounts to hackers and have got millions of spyware and junk mails thanks to Yahoo messenger and its spam friendly technology. How do you get the best out of your chat buddy without risking your account? Well, here is a complete guide that will help you to prevent the hackers.

1. Prevent P2P file Sharing Through Yahoo Messenger

Be it known or unknown, prefer not to receive any file from your friend unless you know what he is sharing and why. Avoid downloading .exe or .zip files from them as they are more likely to attack your computer or install trozans without you being aware of it. Never trust a stranger when he asks you to click on any site you haven't heard of.

2. Don't click on Spammy Links

If you were chatting with someone else and suddenly a PM box flashes on the screen with a lucrative offer/interesting site which has a spammy look, don't click on it. These websites have a lot of spyware who get silently installed if you go and surf them. Never download a toolbar unless its as authenticated as Yahoo's or Google's.

3. Use Ignore Option Wisely

Yahoo has an ignore option that lets you ban a person or mark as spam so that he can't disturb you once again. Use that option effective. Go to Yahoo Messenger main box -> Preferences -> Ignore List. If you want to avoid talking to strangers (which I always recommend)i.e. wanna talk to your buddies only, Check Ignore anyone.. option. That helps you be safe and block on the unwanted and potential hackers from reaching you. See the screen-shot below.

4. Use other Chat Clients

Yahoo Messenger has too many loopholes. It doesn't have a strong security to block contents either. So, if you want to get rid of spams and porn contents all under one go, then you should go for some popular and secure yahoo chat clients like Yazak. You can also go for Yah-Elite and Yam They may not have the same sophisticated GUI or entertainment features but they will increase the security of the chat sessions by many folds.

Here is a link that can help you with some more chat clients. I don't recommend any except these.

5. Always Check and Install Newer Versions of Yahoo Messenger

Remember, the more you stay with the older versions and feel lazy to get upgraded, the more you are helping the hackers. Yahoo or any software, brings out these updates not only to extend features but also due to security reasons. A newer version of yahoo messenger 9 is hardly bootable by DoS attack whereas Yahoo Messenger 7 can be booted out or hacked by a script kiddie.

6. Don't download Yahoo Plug-ins from Unauthorized source

Do not ever download a plug-in of Yahoo messenger from any other site however lucrative it be. Plug-ins like these exploit the vulnerability once installed and send your account details to a third party revealing and cracking down your id. So, better be safe than sorry. No?

7. Use Proxy if you have a Better Firewall

Yahoo also gives you option to change your proxy. Go to Preferences and hunt down Proxy servers. You will see that you can set your own proxy server so that Yahoo gets redirected through yours giving you a better chance to protect yourself and secure by your network. But if only you have that faith on your network security. You can change it by going to Yahoo Messenger main box -> Preferences -> Connection

8. Use Word Filter

You can also use your word Filter in Yahoo messenger. It just discards all the obscene or threatening words by intelligent filtering system if you choose Strong option. But be aware, there may be some times when your own friend can get banned while cursing your jokingly. Word filter is another good option to be within your network and not let some specifically targeted spammers to arrive. It increases security too. You can change it by going to Yahoo Messenger main box -> Preferences -> Chat.

9. Be sure to Remove Your Profile after Chatting from a Public computer

Most of the users don't know about it. Whenever you sign in to yahoo messenger, yahoo makes a profile of yours in the directory Yahoo -> Messenger -> Profiles by the name of your yahoo id. There is an option by default at Yahoo messenger that messages will be saved as long as you are signed in to your account for that session. A good hacker can have access to that file and decrypt it to learn your private conversations.

What you must do if you are sharing a public computer to chat from, is, you can change it by going to Yahoo Messenger main box -> Preferences -> Archive. Change it to No, do not save any of my messages and you are done. Oh don't forget to delete your profile from Profiles inside Yahoo folder after you sign out.
10. Apply Your Common sense and Use a good Antivirus and anti spyware software

Applying your common sense is the least you can do to prevent your account from being hacked. A good anti-virus and anti-spyware always warns you about dangers that you may have overlooked. So its better to have them as well. If you implement the above 9 tips, you won't need to worry much I gues until you personally hand over your information to the person willing to crack your computer down.

Yahoo messenger is a very nice and useful place to meet new buddies and get connected with the old ones. Just be safe and secure and follow the above steps. You will be fine. Do you have something to tip all of us? Why don't you share. We are waiting.

Source: http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/10-tips-to-make-your-yahoo-messenger-hack-proof/
Author: Soumya Sinha

Text Instant Messaging History.

2009-03-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

Text instant messaging is considered as the fastest and most reliable way of communication. It has taken global distribution and has attracted billions of IM users.

SMS messaging or commonly called texting is the process of sending short messages from a mobile phone. The latest mobile phones are capable of sending as much as 20 pages containing 160 characters. These messages are commonly called SMS, texts or text messages.

Text messaging technology uses an SMS gateway to hook up any mobile SMS service to an existing instant message service, Word Wide Web, PDA devices, personal computers and to any landline phone.
Some devices with Bluetooth devices can connect to a mobile phone similar to a modem sending SMS through wireless networks. SMS have been widely used with either GSM or non GSM systems.

Basically, text messaging intends to provide a means of sending message to one person to another no matter where they are as long as there is signal coverage from the mobile providers. This service is also used for automated systems primarily for the purpose of purchasing products and services for mobile phone. Text messaging is also widely used in many contests.

According to some companies, the first ever text message was sent during 1989 by Edward Lantz who is a former NASA employee. The text message was sent through a Motorola beeper. The message was consist of numbers which is read upside down in order to read the message.

On December 3, 1992 in the United Kingdom, the first SMS messaging was used in a commercial sent through a Vodafone GSM network. The SMS message was sent by Neil Papworth with the use of a desktop computer. The SMS contains the word Merry Christmas sent to Richard Jarvis from Vodafone through a handset device model Orbitel 901. For the GSM systems, the first SMS using a Nokia phone was sent by an engineering student, Riku Pihkonen.

At first, text messaging did not gain popularity immediately since it was designed primarily for the hearing impaired. Since 1995 only a few messages were sent through SMS. But during the year 2000, there have been a gradual increase in the use of text messaging.

As the text messaging system developed, more and more people switched to texting as a cheaper form of communication. Based on statistics, Finland, Norway and Sweden have 72% of the total population are using text messaging. In Europe and North America, there are over 85% users of SMS.

Among the Asian countries, the Philippines have the largest population of mobile subscribers who uses text messaging as a means of communication. An average of 20 text messages is being sent daily by a subscriber. Because of this, the Philippines have been considered as the text capital of the world. On 2007 alone, there are 42.70 million people who are subscribers of mobile phones.

According to the Global Messaging Survey conducted by Nokia, text messaging has been proven to be an addictive activity. It was confirmed by a study by the University of Queensland which is based in Australia.

It is interesting to note that text messaging brought about a text lingo. These are abbreviations of words developed to save on character space, and because inputting complete words are more tiresome. Another reason is that most mobile phones do not have QWERTY keyboards of personal computers.

By: David H Urmann

Instant LAN chat for network. Batch Chat.

2009-03-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Do you have a Local Area Network in Office or Home and wanna chat over it? If you don't like so-called LAN chat messengers and other instant messaging software. Meet Batch Chat, it is a tiny standalone tool that does the job for you in the most easiest way. It has a simple-to-use-text-editor-type of-interface.

Just copy this *.exe file in the Shared Folder and you are ready to start. There is only one simple file that required to be copied and there is no need for configuration of any kind. Users who want to chat can simply go to the Shared Folder on the Network and open Batch Chat, in other words, everyone needs to be accessing the same file.

There is no limit on the number of people that can join, but is better suited for a small group(10-15 people). Chat room members will be alerted each time a new user joins the chat.

Note: Make sure that everyone on the network has the drive mapped to the Shared Folder.

Users can also join multiple chat rooms, just copy this file to some other folder and ask users to join it. This program maintains the historical chat log and is totally portable(which means it can also be run from a USB flash drive).

How To Use Instant Messaging Securely?

2009-03-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

Instant messaging communication software is getting a wide used techonology tool for both home, school, and office. This IM tool always its user to communicate in real-time and gain important information quickly. However, using instant messaging software securely is significant to keep this tool effective.

Anonymous and Instant Messaging

Instant messaging (IM) only requires two users, two computers, and a specific time. It does not require looking at a person or any identity code so anyone can use this tool. This means a person can logged on and indicate that she is a young, single woman from Idaho when she is a married, man in France so it is important to use common sense.

You should not reveal any personal information such as your name, address, place of employment, or favorite, local hang outs. This information can be used by someone who has malicious intentions and cause problems with your peace of mind.
Create Security Settings

Your browser,

operations system, and instant messaging tools should be kept up to date along with your anti-virus software to minimize the risk of an unsavory character obtaining detailed, personal information such as your primary e-mail address. When using instant messaging for recreational purposes, limit the amount of time you spend typing to keep yourself from going off track and typing important information.

When using instant messaging for business/work purposes, keep your typing short and simple and stay within guidelines since the meeting can have long-lasting results. Also, understand that all business/work relationships do not last so you do not want to provide detailed information that can be used against you such as legal issues.
Business Practices and Instant Messaging

There can be security issues with a corporate network and instant message application that could allow outsider to record and monitor data and information. For instance, if you and a business co-worker are typing about payroll and social security data this information can be stolen by a computer hacker and create stolen identity issues. Hence, a business should consider what general and specific information should be used during instant messaging.

For instance, it may be determined to only discuss brainstorming. general ideas, and public information such as s stock's price and discuss sensitive information such as financial accounts, names of employees, and patented information in person or by more secure methods.

Source: Article by Cherrineb

Are You Ready to Secure Your Company’s Instant Messaging Communications?

2009-03-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Technology is often a step or two ahead of an IT staff’s ability to control it. That has certainly been the case with some recent communications advances. Increasingly small and medium businesses are recognizing that they need to monitor their employees’ instant messaging conversations, and in response, various vendors have been moving to deliver such services.

Concentric, a business unit of carrier XO Communications, announced Concentric Business Messenger, a real-time instant messaging security service. Increasingly, businesses need to keep a record of all of their communications. One factor driving the need to secure IM conversations is recent regulations, such as Sarbanes Oxley and the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. IM has evolved into quick and easy way to reach another person, however, much of the interest in IM has come from the consumer market. So the challenge for small and medium businesses is to pinpoint who might be using these services and then monitor and perhaps restrict their network usage.

Unlike public chat services, Business Messenger allows IT managers to limit communications, for example just to people in the organization so the service is used to enhance productivity. In addition, all communications via Concentric Business Messenger are encrypted with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) so information is secure. The carrier tried to make the service easy to deploy: users can add contacts by selecting their names via a chat client on their desktops.

Concentric has focused on delivering hosted services to small and medium businesses. The company has been concentrated on providing Microsoft Exchange services. The new IM services are bundled with those services or are available at a cost of $1 per user, per month for non-Exchange users. The hosted messaging market has been growing at rapid rate, and Concentric is one of many vendors vying for a slice of that market. Its new services could open up another door or two for the company.

by Paul Korzeniowski
Source: ANTenna Blog -- Networking & Communications

Concentric Offers Secure Instant Messaging for Small and Medium Sized Businesses.

2009-03-24T01:48:00.000-07:00

SAN JOSE, CA - Concentric® presented the start of Concentric Business Messenger, an enterprise-class, encrypted, fully managed instant messaging and collaboration solution designed for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). Concentric Business Instant Messenger helps employees communicate more efficiently using real-time instant messaging software without the security risks of a public chat service. All communications via Concentric Business Messenger are encrypted with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) giving SMBs security comparable to online banking applications. Unlike public chat services, Business Instant Messenger allows IT managers to take control of instant messaging by restricting communications just to people in the organization, ensuring that information shared is secure and private.

“Concentric Business Messenger is part of our continued strategy to provide our SMB customers with enterprise-class applications at affordable prices,” said Craig Collins, president of Concentric. “A growing concern for SMBs is the increase in instances where worms or viruses enter their network through a public instant messaging network. By using Concentric Business Messenger, SMBs can have the benefits of chat without the risks while enabling employees to stay connected in the office and on the go.”

Concentric Business Messenger is independent of any email platform making it usable whether you are running your own email server, hosting your email elsewhere, or using any Concentric email service. This fully hosted service requires no hardware or software to be purchased, configured, installed, or maintained. Users can access the web-based chat client securely from any web browser.

“Using public chat or instant messaging services in a professional setting poses information security risks to the company,” said Michael Osterman, President of Osterman Research. “With public chat services, anyone can create a username that sounds like any company employee and can access private company information by posing as someone else. Concentric Business Messenger allows IT managers to restrict instant messaging to just between company employees, ensuring that company information is kept private and secure.”

Concentric Business Messenger is fully integrated with the Concentric Gateway, allowing simplified administration and reduced operational costs when combined with Concentric email, web hosting, or suite of Hosted IT services. Users can easily add co-workers to their Business Messenger by selecting their names through the Gateway. Configuration is a simple process as users download Concentric’s pre-configured chat client from the Gateway and install it on their desktop. Built-in controls allow the chat client to be automatically updated, and allow the IT manager to determine if and when the chat client is updated. All Concentric hosted services, including Business Messenger, are fully redundant and monitored 24X7 for maximum uptime.

Concentric Business Messenger is based on the open standard XMPP for compatibility with a wide variety of chat clients. Other features and benefits include:

– Easy-to-use contact list – Users can easily add co-workers to their contact list with a simple point-and-click interface; IT managers can control access for privacy and security
– Convenient online status – Users will know when co-workers are available for chat with the customizable presence indicator and status messages
– Secure chat rooms – Users can create chat rooms and communicate in real-time with multiple people; IT managers can control access to the room
– SSL encrypted enterprise-class, real-time messaging
– Contact groups with profiles

Concentric Business Messenger is bundled with Concentric’s Hosted Microsoft® Exchange at no additional charge. Most other Hosted Exchange providers charge extra monthly fees to offer comparable messaging capabilities. For other users, Business Messenger can be added on for $1 per user per month.

About Concentric
Concentric provides enterprise hosted IT solutions that streamline IT management, improve security and uptime, and reduce costs for organizations of all sizes. The company’s innovative technology platform is based on patented, clustered architecture that delivers superior reliability, scalability, and security. Services include applications hosting, business-class email, anti-spam and anti-virus solutions, and managed servers, all backed by 24×7 live customer support and an in-house Professional Services group to help businesses that need additional resources. Concentric is a business unit of XO Communications, a leading national telecommunications provider. For more information, visit www.concentric.com or call (866) 500-9696.

About XO Communications
XO Communications, a subsidiary of XO Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: XOHO), is a leading nationwide provider of advanced communications services and solutions for businesses, enterprises, government, carriers and service providers. Its customers include more than half of the Fortune 500, in addition to leading cable companies, carriers, content providers and mobile network operators. Utilizing its unique combination of high-capacity nationwide and metro networks and broadband wireless capabilities, XO offers customers a broad range of managed voice, data and IP services with proven performance, scalability and value in more than 75 metropolitan markets across the United States. For more information, visit www.xo.com.

Instant Messenger client. Free Browser Based Ajax IM.

2009-03-18T04:13:00.000-07:00

Ajax Instant Messenger ("asynchronous javascript and xml instant messenger") is a browser-based instant messaging client. It uses AJAX to create a near real-time IM environment that can be used in conjunction with community, intranet, and social websites. No refreshing of the page is ever needed for this "web application" to work, as everything is updated in real-time via JavaScript.

Updates in version 3.41:

* Remove Buddy button now works properly
* Minor bug fixes

Updates in version 3.4:

* Fixed popup.php Include Path, Bold, Italic, and Underline errors (Issue #116, Issue #111, Issue #91).
* Added option to disable the register ability.
* Multiple releases (YUI Compression, Full Source).
* Blocked buddies are now blocked when they should be (Issue #112).
* Added buddy icons (Issue #92).
* Added context/right-click menus (Issue #12).
* Added buddy profiles (Issue #13).
* Added Lingo-Replacement feature, can be used with multiple languages (Issue #127).
* Buddy status changes are shown in chat window.
* Custom timestamps now used in chat as well.
* User search now lists users' emails.
* Created update.php to update your ajax im installation from version 3.3 to 3.4.
* Created test-uploads.php to allow you to test your server for the ability to upload files.
* Created php.ini.sample. If you need a php.ini, just rename this to php.ini.
* Added auto-away/auto-idle feature (Issue #124).
* Fixed use of &, <, and > symbols (Issue #101).
* Fixed use of new lines (Issue #118).
* Added Shift+Enter shortcut to add a newline.

Source: http://www.ajaxim.com/

Desktop Alerting Solution for LAN and WAN: NetSupport Notify 2.0

2009-03-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

NetSupport Notify is a network solution allowing instant and reliable delivery of notifications and alerts across a LAN or WAN to both Windows and Mac desktops.

The philosophy of NetSupport Notify is to supply a simple and effective solution to allow administrators within an corporation to reliably deliver key notifications to all users across an enterprise without concern for network topology and to provide accurate records of message delivery and acknowledgement.

Unlike typical LAN-based messaging solutions, NetSupport Notify provides a dedicated local notification gateway(s) that allow seamless message delivery across multiple network segments or dispersed sites without the need for network modifications or switch configuration. A true mass notification system.

A focused software solution for on-demand desktop alerts, emergency notifications, popup alerting and one-way messaging needs. Contact specific user departments or thousands of users across an enterprise in seconds. NetSupport Notify scales to the largest of enterprises, provides real-time status of both notifications and acknowledgements as well as delivering pre-scheduled alerts and notifications.

No external services are needed, simply setup one or a number of notification gateways, deploy the agents software to all computers and the console software to all relevant operators. Alerts can also be sent via a web based console, removing the need for software installation, yet retaining strict user security and control.

Why Desktop Notification?
NetSupport Notify cuts through the distractions to communicate directly and immediately with users.

NetSupport Notify is a high impact and scalable solution, requiring no external servers or subscriptions, that allows an organisation to deliver internal messaging guaranteed to grab attention. As a solution specifically designed to deliver one-way alerts and notifications that cannot be skipped, ignored or saved for later, NetSupport Notify offers many advantages over traditional methods of communication.

Instant Messaging, e-mail, internal Intranets and RSS feeds are all passive forms of communication that rely solely on the user to look for and read information...when they choose. NetSupport Notify delivers the information instantly and ensures the user's attention is gained. It is impractical and costly to attempt to contact all users by phone with news or alerts, e-mail does not ensure any level of immediacy and news feeds are only useful if users are actively looking for information. NetSupport Notify offers the only direct, instant-contact, mass communication method....offering instant delivery to all or specific groups of users.

Simple to use, fast and reliable, NetSupport Notify is the perfect choice for messaging and alerting across a LAN or WAN. Easy to implement and utilise, alerts carrying varying priorities, customisations and delivery options can be delivered in seconds across the enterprise.

Key feature highlights in NetSupport Notify are:

* Support for Windows and Mac desktops, including Vista.
* Prioritise messages and alerts with clear and concise message types.
* Support for clickable URLs in alerts.
* Customise Alert and Font colours and include organisation logo in all notifications.
* Flexible Delivery Options - display for XX seconds, Require User Confirm, Auto Close after XX and so on.
* Supports unlimited number of connected user desktops.
* Central Audit log and detailed reporting of all messages sent, received and acknowledged.
* View full Alert History, View and amend current scheduled Alerts and export delivery results.
* Schedule routine Alerts to run weekly, daily or at fixed times or dates.
* Unique Security codes – limiting access to only authorised Agents and Consoles.
* Send Alerts directly from a Web Browser via the browser based notification template.
* Integrate within existing systems via the supplied browser based notification template and COM object.
* Send targeted alerts dynamically to selected departments or all computers.
* Agent configuration can be centrally managed via Active Directory (AD) policies or similar.
* Control ability to send alerts by Active Directory (AD) policy.
* Support for Terminal Server / Citrix clients.
* Notification gateway component included as standard for seamless and secure delivery of messages.
* Send alerts to one or multiple notification gateways simultaneously.
* Notification gateway redundancy support, allowing multiple gateways to be installed.
* Utilise the Notification gateway for existing NetSupport Manager clients.
* No need for router changes or support for broadcast UDP.
* Easy to install with MSI installer or by utilising supplied deployment utility or Active Directory.
* Available in a range of localised languages.

Unified Communications (UC) Review: Cisco.

2009-03-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Unified communications (UC) is a fast growing and evolving market, with fresh products and solutions announced on what seems to be a daily basis. The unified communications (UC) market is composed of various elements and components, provided by a variety of vendors. There are several groups of players in the enterprise UC arena, all coming from different directions: the switch, business IM and presence, messaging, mobile devices, conferencing/collaboration, applications and so on.

The vendors are approaching UC from various angles, and enterprises need to figure out which approach makes the most sense for their particular environment. For example, most of the switch vendors view the IP PBX as the starting point for UC capabilities. Cisco's approach is based on the converged IP network, while IBM views presence as the starting point, and Microsoft sees the desktop as the heart of UC. All of these approaches make sense and have pros and cons, and companies need to determine which fits best with their philosophy.

Each month, SearchUnifiedCommunications.com will profile a key UC vendor to help you better understand the company's business model and how it may fit into your UC strategy.

Cisco

Cisco defines UC as voice, video, data and mobile applications unified on fixed and mobile networks that enhance business productivity and facilitate agility by accelerating decision time and reducing transaction time. Cisco notes that its UC solutions are architected to be open in order to ensure interoperability from the physical infrastructure to the application layer and to be secure in order to protect users and businesses. The Cisco solution uses the network as the platform to deliver an open and inclusive experience to users across disparate workspaces.

Cisco offers various delivery models for UC services, including on-premises, on-demand, hybrid on-premises/on-demand, and managed. Cisco has an end-to-end UC solution spanning from the network infrastructure to applications, services and devices/endpoints, enabling the company to deliver control of the end-to-end user experience as well as security and reliability at the application, call control, device/endpoint, and network infrastructure levels.

Cisco's UC offerings include:

* Cisco Unified Presence, which delivers IM and click-to-call features, serving as an integration point for presence published by other applications, including IBM Sametime and Microsoft LCS/OCS.
* Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, a software client providing a single user interface for IM, telephony, presence, collaboration, messaging and video.
* Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator, for a mobile collaboration client with presence.
* Cisco Unified MeetingPlace and Unified MeetingPlace Express for audio, video and Web conferencing.
* Cisco Unity and Unity Connection, for unified messaging.

In addition, Cisco offers Web conferencing and collaboration services, based on its acquisition of WebEx. Cisco WebEx provides Software as a Service (SaaS) Web collaboration, and Cisco WebEx Connect provides what Cisco describes as "everything a business needs to securely instant message, share files, collaborate, launch meetings, and manage projects." Cisco is leveraging the WebEx service and network to get into the SaaS space, focusing on collaboration.

About the author:
Blair Pleasant provides consulting and market research analysis on voice/data convergence markets and technologies, aimed at helping end-user and vendor clients both strategically and tactically. Prior to COMMfusion, she was director of communications analysis for The PELORUS Group, a market research and consulting firm, and president of Lower Falls Consulting.

By Blair Pleasant, president and principal analyst, COMMfusion
16 Mar 2009 | SearchUnifiedCommunications.com

Source: http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com

SIP Trunk Solution. 8el Prefers Squire Technologies.

2009-03-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

8el, an established communications provider focused on managed solutions, including VoIP, ISP services, LAN and WAN infrastructure for UK businesses, has chosen a SIP trunking solution from UK-based Squire Technologies.

Squire Technologies has been offering SIP trunk service from 2001 to the telecommunication industry worldwide. The company provides a range of SS7 products, protocol converters, gateways, and an extensive range of VoIP products - Media Gateways, MediaGateway ( News - Alert) Controllers and Class 4 SoftSwitch.

As more and more carriers and ISPs are now actively offering their clients SIP trunk solution which are believed to be a lower cost alternative to traditional PSTN interconnect, 8el has decided to also have a flexible proven PSTN media gateway to terminate multiple SIP trunk customers, from a variety of PBXs and IADs.

A SIP trunk is a service delivered by an Internet Telephony Service Provider which allows businesses that have a PBX (News - Alert) installed to use Voice-over-IP (VoIP) outside the enterprise network using their Internet connection itself.

Established in 2001, Squire Technologies has experienced rapid, year-on-year growth providing Carrier Grade Telecoms Products and Services to the Telecommunication Industry.

Squire Technologies believes that the ability to offer highly managed services such as intelligent call routing and billing, and at the same time also ensuring security of service through a VPN and guaranteed bandwidth are all the right measures to ensuring the scalability and certainty of service for the end user.

"Squire Technologies' expert support and the flexible SVI_MG PSTN Media Gateway meant that our SIP trunk project as well as particular network and routing scenarios were handled. We had subtle requirements for messaging, DDIs and CLIs that came down to screening and routing, and Squire's SS7 expertise ensured our prerequisites remained within the scope of the solution," said Phil O'Keeffe, technical director at 8el.

Jai C.S. is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jai's articles, please visit his columnist page.

Source: http://sip-trunking.tmcnet.com/topics/enterprise-voip/articles/52059-8el-chooses-squire-technologies-sip-trunk-solution.htm

Instant Messaging Application For IPhone: iMsgYou.

2009-02-26T21:18:00.001-08:00

Do you know that, with iMsgYou, you can chat with buddies / friends / family members. When you open the WiFi to connect with the LAN, you can search your friends in local area network inside. Then it is very simple for you to chat with them with the big keyboard.

Features;
1. Landscape interface orientation display for inputting text messages.
2. put members list / messages display / input box together for a convenient Quick View,
3. Click one item of the messages display table list to view the details
4. You can choose to have your message sent to any online users
5. To use the big keyboard to edit the message you want to send
6. Click Send, iMsgYou will take your message to recipient very fast .
7. You can also chat with several people at the same time by setting up your contact object
9. sign a nickname you love to show in the network, it will be very interesting things.

At the LAN iMsgYou make you convenient to send messages to your friends, for you to save money, save your time, but it is also a tool for your private chat .
My daughter said: "This software is really interesting, I can hide my bed inside quietly in evening, and chat with my mother and marry ,ha ha ...". i don't want her to do that, but she like it .

First Mobile Instant Messaging (IM) Application Is Presented by Antenna Software.

2009-02-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

AMP(TM) IM Enables Secure, Auditable, and Real-Time Collaboration Across Multiple Device Platforms.

CHICAGO, IL - GARTNER Wireless & Mobile Summit -- Antenna Software, delivering real business mobility to the world's most demanding enterprises, today announced the launch of AMP(TM) IM, the first cross-platform, ready-to-deploy mobile instant messaging (IM) solution built specifically for the mobile workforce. With enterprise-grade security and support across multiple devices, AMP IM empowers workers in the field to collaborate with each other in an asynchronous manner, leading to significantly improved knowledge sharing and increased effectiveness. Built as a reusable application component, AMP IM can be easily integrated with voice, e-mail and other mobile applications, or deployed standalone. It runs on BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and iPhone(TM) devices and offers the security, control and visibility that businesses need in an IM solution.

Despite the many enterprise and consumer-grade solutions available, organizations have hesitated to fully adopt mobile IM due to security, support and management concerns. Instead, mobile workers rely heavily on e-mail, text messaging and phone calls, but these methods sometimes fall short. Because IM offers real-time status information and asynchronous communications, it can be more efficient than phone calls and more responsive than e-mails, helping workers multi-task and be more productive. Also, younger workers who are accustomed to communicating via IM and text messaging will demand these capabilities on their mobile devices -- potentially using unchecked consumer-grade solutions if IT doesn't provide an alternative. It's vital then for companies to properly plan for enterprise IM and roll it out as part of an enterprise-wide mobility platform, as this form of communication and collaboration will continue to be woven into the fabric of enterprise IT systems in the years ahead.

"As user interfaces improve to handle the inherent presence capabilities of IM, mobile IM will finally become the type of popular application envisioned years ago," said Nick Jones, vice president and distinguished analyst, Gartner. "By 2014, mobile IM will be used regularly by more than 50 percent of wireless subscribers in North America and Western Europe."
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AMP IM complements an organization's unified communications and mobile strategy, providing a low-cost, auditable and secure means of real-time collaboration among mobile workgroups. Built from the ground up by Antenna as an end-to-end mobile solution, AMP IM is engineered specifically for the needs of the enterprise. It is simple to use and provides the mobile workforce with a quick and easy way to collaborate and communicate -- whenever and wherever they need.

For example, a maintenance representative out in the field could quickly check his peer group to see who was available to answer a quick question regarding a machine malfunction. Without toggling to an outside application or having to exit that application to make a phone call or send an e-mail, the rep could simply use AMP IM to get a response immediately.

"With AMP IM, there are no longer any obstacles to adoption of mobile instant messaging in the enterprise," said Jim Hemmer, CEO, Antenna Software. "AMP IM enables workgroups to communicate quickly and efficiently with one another, but most importantly, it does so within the security and control of an enterprise mobility infrastructure. By integrating AMP IM into the Antenna Mobility Platform, organizations can easily plug IM capabilities into any application, and enjoy telco-grade performance, reliability, control and compliance."

AMP IM can be a stand-alone application or integrated as part of a broader, enterprise-wide mobility platform. Key features and benefits include:

-- Multi-Device Support: Ability to run on BlackBerry, Windows Mobile
and iPhone provides enterprise with the freedom of not being locked into a
single device.
-- Ease of Use: One-click to call and e-mail from conversations to
increase efficiency.
-- Auditing and Compliance: Conversations are automatically logged and
archived and can be exported, leaving an auditable message trail for
security and/or compliance purposes.
-- Central Administration: IT can establish IM work groups, and view IM
conversation reports via a secure, Web-based dashboard.
-- Presence Indicators and Group Chats: Users can set their status and
view the status of others to determine availability, allowing users to
efficiently collaborate via one-to-one or group chats.
-- Security: AMP IM provides a controlled and restricted IM environment
for known users and devices only, a common feature lacking from commercial
IM solutions.

AMP IM is available now. For more information about AMP IM, visit http://www.antennasoftware.com; or stop by Antenna's Booth G at Gartner Mobile & Wireless, Feb. 23-25, Chicago for a demo.

About Antenna Software

Antenna Software provides the Antenna Mobility Platform(TM) (AMP), which enables organizations to design, build, deploy and manage mobile applications quickly and cost-effectively. Delivered as a managed service or on premise, AMP supports multiple enterprise systems and mobile devices from one unified environment. Powered by AMP, Antenna's AMP(TM) mobile business solutions provide field sales, service and IT support organizations with pre-built, configurable mobile applications that help improve field productivity, customer care and profitability. Having a decade of success with Global 1000 customers, Antenna is recognized by industry experts and leaders for its outstanding commitment to quality and service.

All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Antenna Media Contact
Jonathan Klein
Articulate Communications Inc.
212.255.0080, ext. 15
jklein@articulatepr.com

© MarketWire 2009

Want To Get Answering Machine For Your IM?

2009-02-17T01:56:00.000-08:00

Computer's personal often face problems when they have to take a break from their PC for some time and can’t answer to emails and instant messages. Actually, for email you can set up an autoresponder if you use Outlook software, and there’s a way out for gmail, too.

But what can you do with your instant messenger? I have a lot of IM accounts for any purposes with different people in each account. So what utility can tell these people that I am out on a vacation or down with fever?

Answer.im comes to the rescue by setting up an automated web based answering machine for your instant messenger. It works with MSN, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo and Google Talk as of now.

How it Works

Setting it up is very simple. First, hop over to http://answer.im/. Then, select your IM network (like GTalk, Yahoo, etc). Fill in your username and password and hit Login.

Features

Now, you can customize your automated reply and select the status you would like your account to remain at. Since the service is web based, your IM account can remain online and send auto responses even after you have shut your computer down. From another panel, you can also track responses and messages you received when your account was on autopilot.

Conclusion

Though it works good, giving out my username and password freaked me out initially, but it does the job. While checking the response of the machine, sometimes it would lag and the response would come a while later. This is something the developer should consider mending.

Using such a service may not be neccessary, but it can be experimented with. If it had filters like Gmail, it could be very productive. That way, my reply could be sent only to certain people and different replies could be sent for different people.

Well, for now, you’ll have to use it as it is. Happy IMing!

Answer.IM

(By) Keshav Khera is a 14 year old geek from India. He is an avid freelance writer and writes about technology and web on his blog Fabworker. When he’s not doing the usual stuff, he’s either exploring music or is hooked to twitter (@keshav).

Source: http://www.lostintechnology.com/internet-tools/answerim-fully-automated-answering-machine-your-instant-messenger

Instant Messaging Security. How To Encrypt your chat?

2009-02-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

We all got secrets. Passwords, Social Security numbers, a safe combination, trade secrets…

Well, we can’t exactly condone corporate espionage (We’ve had enough of that, thank you very much!). However if you are, as an example, a newly-elected company President, with secrets to keep just between you and a friend or sweetie over IM, you’re likely going to want some form of encryption between the two of you.

There are several ways to accomplish this, but here are the two absolute easiest ways. The first is web-based, because we just adore web-apps.

You will likely have heard by now of Meebo, the instant-messaging app that only requires your browser. It’s handy for when you’re on, say, your brother’s computer (as I am right now), and you need to get at your contact list. While your IM passwords are always sent through encrypted, secure means, accessing the site via the secure HTTPS protocol like so encrypts your messages as well, allowing for tighter security.

As an alternative to Meebo, I suggest Imo.IM, which supports MySpace IM and Skype, forces HTTPS, and is Firefox-sidebar-friendly.

For the easiest and tightest security possible for Barack and Michelle, we’ll need total encryption of all messages and file transfers, between the two chatters.

Time for a favorite download of ours, the Pidgin client. You need not do anything fancy yet; Just download, install, and then run the program, adding your IM accounts with the wizard. Your friend must do the same, and then you both must install the Pidgin-Encryption Plugin. Then enable the plugin from Pidgin’s Tools menu (you may need to restart Pidgin for the plugin to be available and show up in the list).

I’m sure that you’re in a hurry to get to your spy games, but relax, we’re almost done! Go ahead and hit Pidgin’s Buddies menu to start a new IM conversation with your friend. Here’s the most important part. You see this padlock icon at the top of your IM window? You both must click on this to enable the encryption.

Pidgin will handle the exchanging of encryption keys, making the secure connection, and other nerdy stuff. Messages sent via this method are fully encrypted from your end to the other, including when routed through your IM network. I call it “Really Simple Security.”

Presented above are just two ways to encrypt your chit-chat over just about any IM network. We’re always open to other options, so please feel free to post a comment and clue us in on your favorite encryption method.

(By) Tim Watson is a freelance 'blogger, part-time Web addict, full-time father, and Aperture Science test subject (but only on the weekends). His 'blog and other projects can be found at t1mwats0n.com, or follow him on Twitter @timdub.

IIRA Technologies presents Sanchar and Rakshak

2009-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

IIRA Technologies has developed these products for efficacious and affordable communication, to make the system economical for all the small and medium enterprises. The products are very robust, secured and matches the international standards. The products are plug and play devices that will blend with your current set-up perfectly.

IIRA Technologies has deep experience and expertise in enterprise computing and secured solutions. We always want to devise IT products which are not only secure, technically advance but affordable to all whether having infrastructure of 5 systems or 500. The products are the result of 9 years consistent research and development, thus are very advance, secure and affordable.

The products are:

Sanchar: As the name suggest its a communication device for office productivity as deals with Common Address book, Calendar, Task, Mailing List, Instant Messaging (internal chat), Push Mail (mails from computer to mobiles automatically), VoIP (Talk unlimited for free).

Rakshak: Is an IT security product, which gives you 100% security from Virus, Spam, Phish, Spyware. It also works as a Firewall and VPN. Rakshak also enable you with content filtering, routing and reports.

About company:
IIRA Technologies is working in the field of collaborative solutions from the past 9 years and developedproducts for efficacious and affordable communication, to make the system economical for all the small and medium enterprises. The products are very robust, secured and matches the international standards.

IIRA Technologies has deep experience and expertise in enterprise computing and secured solutions. We always want to devise IT products which are not only secure, technically advance but affordable to all whether having infrastructure of 5 systems or 500.

Instant Messaging Fighst to Get its Message Across in Enterprise.

2009-02-04T19:57:00.001-08:00

In many cases, technology that starts out in the consumer sector migrates to the office. It is almost as if we have replaced “take you daughter to work day” with “take your favorite electronic device to work day.” This happened with Wi-Fi, it happened with smartphones and it happened with instant messaging. In each case, smart vendors saw an opportunity to add the features – some systemic and fundamental, some cosmetic – that made the technology ready for business use.

The bottom line is that good ideas for consumers, if properly adjusted, are good ideas for businesses. In the case of IM, however, the adoption rate of corporate platforms has been inconsistent. A step in the right direction was made today as Thomas Reuters launched Reuters Messaging (RM) Interchange.The platform enables workers using Cisco’s Jabber XCP, IBM Lotus Sametime and Microsoft Live Communications Server/Office Communications Server to communicate with each other fluidly. The piece says that RM Exchange offers carrier-grade connectivity without making IT departments link each platform separately. In addition, companies joining the network get access to the Reuters Messaging community, which the release says consists of more than 130,000 end users in 5,000 firms.

IM, of course, has been in the enterprise for a long time. Just how long is suggested by this FaceTime press press release, which was posted by MSNBC. It says that its products have been the marketplace leader, measured by revenue, in the instant messaging management sector for five years. The company works with Microsoft OCS and IBM Lotus Sametime on the corporate side and AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, GoogleTalk and MSN in the public IM arena. The release places IM in the unified communication landscape alongside tools such as e-mail and Web conferencing.

Workplace IM raises two interrelated challenges for IT: security and management. Security is, of course, the preeminent worry when bringing a consumer communications product into the workplace. Windows Security does a good job of outlining the threats, which include the same collection of worms, viruses and other forms of malware that attack through other channels. The writer suggests that a strong gateway defense is key to mitigating the threats. A more difficult challenge occurs when employees travel beyond the firewall and use poorly secured public networks.

The management issue also demands attention. An organization has to think through seveal issues in deciding how to incorporate IM. A lot of these issues are fairly complex. They have to do with creating a centralized and consistent approach to UC- and UC-related communications platforms the organization offers to its employees. In the final analysis, handling each new platform as a separate entity is inefficient and cumbersome. Another issue – one that is touched on in this blog from vendor Brosix – is that IM is a great way to relieve pressure on servers stressed by the deluge of e-mails, many of which carry no more information than a typical instant message.

The bottom line is that enterprise IM has not taken off. Bill Pray, an analyst for The Burton Group, offers some insight into why. Enterprise IM seats are less than 50 million, he says, while the number of consumer users number about 100 million more. The benefits of enterprise IM – which he lists -- are hard to argue with. They include better responsiveness, reduced latency in transaction, improved coordination and others. Pray identifies two issues. He says that IT departments don’t encourage IM because it is another chore for them – and one with a significant downside, since it is a real time. This means that complaints will start to flow the moment a problem arises. The other big obstacle is that there is something of a disconnect between users and vendors. Vendors, Pray says, perceive IM as part of overall UC platforms, while potential customers judge its potential ROI on a case-by-case basis.

Posted by Carl Weinschenk

Source:http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/weinschenk/in-the-enterprise-im-still-struggles-to-get-its-message-across/?cs=30215

S-IMCO, Inc presents corporate instant messenger S-IMessenger

2009-01-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

Secure Instant Messenger supports message history encrypting, secure file-transfer and a lot of configuration options.

Requirements

* Pentium || - 300Mhz
* 128 MB RAM (256 recommended)
* 10 MB hard disk space
* Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista (beta)

Security
With S-IMessenger you can be sure that all your communication is secure. S-IMessenger is capable of using TLSV1 , SSLV3, SSLV2 (not recommended) protocols. For all the TLS/SSL communication, S-IMessenger uses the industry standard tool-kit OpenSSL.

Besides all the communication that takes place between the client & the server being secure, S-IMessenger uses Blowfish encryption algorithm to encrypt anything that is stored locally. So all the history files and sensitive user-data is encrypted before storing them locally.

Presence
Allowing the user to login as Appearing Offline, automatically updating the status according to user activity, S-IMessenger helps the user effectively manage his or her presence.

Messaging
S-IMessenger allows multi user private or public chat sessions. With private chat-session the users can only join if invited & while public chat-sessions are open to all. S-IMessenger supports secure file transfer, user-avatar during single or multi-user chat-sessions.

* Single-user chat-session with avatar support.
* Multi-user chat-session with avatar support.
* Secure file transfer.
* Chat session history support.
* Chat-session message print support.

Ease of Use
S-IMessenger provides you with an easy to operate user interface. With features like...

* In place editing of personal messages.
* Built-in search & add-contact dialog box.
* New Message & File Transfer information tip.
* Contact card containing all the user contact information.
* Display with embedded search of user's current playing song.

ClearIM is a new XMPP-based instant messaging service.

2009-01-27T01:49:00.000-08:00

January 20, 2009: Sydney based messaging SaaS provider Cleartext has launched a new XMPP-based instant messaging service called ClearIM.

The service connects to the federated Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) network, for example GTalk and the upcoming Facebook chat, public IM services like MSN and AIM and micro-blogging services like Twitter and identi.ca.

Based on XMPP the new service is tapping into a growing demand for standards based instant and micro messaging in the small to medium business market across all sectors. The initial offering mirrors a hosted email service with security (SSL), use of your own domain and cloud based archiving.

"Cleartext is expanding its SaaS platform with an eye to the future and the inevitable move towards business use of social network based messaging and micro-blogging over XMPP." said David Banes, Managing Director of Cleartext.

ClearIM is available as a beta test platform now. The company is encouraging people to sign up as early adopters to benefit from discounts to additions to the service as XMPP enabled platforms becomes popular during 2009-2010 and businesses start to consume XMPP feeds via cloud based services.

"Cleartext is well placed to deliver cloud based XMPP services through its depth of knowledge in messaging hosting and security and XMPP experience through prior relationships with Jabber Inc and Jive Software, both leading XMPP vendors of enterprise based solutions".

First established in 1999 to develop secure IM solutions Cleartext moved into managed services in 2005. ClearEmail a professional email hosting service was launched in 2006 and ClearEmail MX Managed Email Security in 2007. The company launched ClearEmail EDM in February 2008 and has just launched ClearIM.

David Banes is a member of the board of the IIA (Internet Industry Association) and the XSF (XMPP Standards Foundation).

Instant Messaging Market is Increasing: 2008-2012

2009-01-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

Analysis of Market for Instant Messaging Software

PALO ALTO, CA - The Radicati Group, Inc.'s latest study, "Instant Messaging Market, 2008-2012," offers an in-depth analysis of the market for Instant Messaging. The study divides the market into four segments: Public IM, Enterprise IM, IM Management & Security, and IM Aggregators. It provides installed base and revenue market share by vendor, four-year forecasts, and breakouts by region and business size for each segment of the market.

In the past year, Instant Messaging vendors have seen a significant shift from enterprises using Public IM to purchasing and deploying Enterprise IM networks with enhanced security and robust administrative control functions. In the consumer IM market, providers have begun adding various new features to keep users engaged with SMS text messaging, voice and video chat capabilities, and Web 2.0 interactivity-type features, such as avatars, tool bars, games, music, social networking capabilities, and various background designs.

According to the study, IM accounts will grow from 1.8 billion in 2008, to over 3.7 billion by 2012.
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To order a copy of the study, or for additional information about our market research programs, please contact Lauren Reardon at (650) 322-8059, or visit our web site at http://www.radicati.com.

About The Radicati Group, Inc.

The Radicati Group covers all aspects of e-mail security, e-mail archiving, regulatory compliance, wireless technologies, web services, identity management, instant messaging, unified communications, VoIP, and more. The company provides quantitative and qualitative information, including detailed market size, installed base and forecast information on a worldwide basis, as well as detailed country breakouts.

The Radicati Group works with corporate organizations to assist them in selecting the right products and technologies to support their business needs, as well as with vendors to define the best strategic direction for their products. We also work with investment firms on a worldwide basis to help them identify and assess investment opportunities.

The Radicati Group, Inc. is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, with a European office in London, UK and an Australian office in Melbourne.

Contact:
Lauren Reardon
The Radicati Group, Inc.
(650) 322-8059
Email Contact

© MarketWire 2009

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28537701/