IM Rule 3: Assume That Your Employees Are Already Using Instant Messaging - Without Your Knowledge, Authorization, Rules, or Policies.

IM Rule # 3: Assume That Your Employees Are Already Using Instant Messaging—Without Your Knowledge, Authorization, Rules, or Policies.

Industry insiders estimate that up to 90 percent of businesses are already engaged in some form of IM. ^[2] That includes the 25 million employees who are using personal IM tools to communicate via public networks—without management’s knowledge, IT’s approval, or written rules or policies in place to reduce liabilities. ^[3]

^[2]Harry Wessel, ‘‘IM: Two Little Letters Equal a Big Help to Some Businesses,’’ Orlando Sentinel (June 25, 2003), G1.

^[3]Lisa Meyer, ‘‘IM Intrigues the Enterprise: VARs Tasked to Control Disparate Instant-Messaging Implementations,’’ Varbusiness (May 12, 2003), 62.