Disadvantages

There are many security issues that come with using IM, which is a concern for many companies that use it. One concern for businesses using IM is lost information which happens quite often when messages get piled up or there are a lot of junk instant messages. The Internet For Dummies book presented many problems that revolve around IM such as, “Unsolicited files from people you don’t know are generally spam, viruses, or both. Most virus-checkers don’t monitor file transfers via an IM program” (p. 266). The fact that many IM programs can’t detect viruses is a huge disadvantage which can cause devastating damage. IM can be encrypted but for the most part many users are communicating messages that are not encrypted, which is a major concern because someone else can retrieve the message and read it. This is a big deal because delegate company information could be read which poses a serious security issue. Managing and recording a company’s IM’s could be a challenging task but is necessary because of the legal risks that are involved which is a disadvantage.