C.1 Overview

During the last two years , we have been using instant messaging clients for more and more communication. Typically, we use it for business, as it is a free way to have a four-way discussion as opposed to costly conference calling. There is a big disadvantage though ”our business is traversing the Internet in plain-text form. One answer would be to encrypt the message stream so that only bona fide partners may read our smiley-laden communication. We are aware that several companies are selling solutions to this problem, and we have decided to write our requirements as a precursor to the acquisition process. This allows us to focus on our needs before we are influenced by the various solutions.