How to Choose an IM Server for Secure and Private Business Conversation

More and more companies choose to implant a business level instant messaging system for daily communication. There are mainly two kinds of IM programs in the market, one is the Lan messenger which only has IM client program, the other is the IM system with a server. This article will talk about the advantages of set up an IM server for the instant messaging system and how to select a proper IM server for secure business conversation.

The advantages of set up an IM server for the instant messaging system

1. Centrally control user accounts

With an IM server, all users’ accounts and role settings will be created and centrally managed by the IT department on the server, all users with valid accounts will connect to the same IM server. In this way, people from outside cannot connect to the private IM server to ensure a secure and clean instant messaging environment.

2. Enable offline message delivery and file transfer.

The instant message that sends to an offline user will be temporary stored on the IM server, and it will be delivered on the next time when the user appears online, the same to the file transfer.

3. Administrator can monitor everything from the IM server.

From the IM server, administrator can get a server log file which will report the what’s going on the IM server, if there was any error, it will help the administrator to investigate and fix the problem as soon as possible.

4. Keep a full record of all the conversation and files transferred through the IM system.

Different to the IM without a server, the history message and file transferred through the IM server can be fully recorded, so the CEO or administrator can audit in case there were sensitive data has been sent through the IM by the end users.

5. Control functions and options for IM client programs.

For a business messenger which will be used for different users inside the company, in many companies, the IT department needs the option to enable some IM functions for particular users and disable some features for others, incase to save bandwidth. With an IM server, the administrator can configure it on the IM server

How to select a proper IM server for secure business conversation.

Consider the advantages of the IM server as listed above, try to select an IM server meet the functionalities and features.