Instant messaging platforms have been part of our personal communication mix for over a decade. The ease with which they allow us to stay connected with friends and family while sharing information at minimal cost is nothing short of amazing. This same convenience is sought by small and large businesses alike with regards to their internal communication.

Although the temptation is often there to use the same instant messaging platforms that we are familiar with in our personal communication for business use; special care and consideration should be given to your enterprise’s internal communication needs.

Enterprise level solutions for your company’s inter-office communications should be handled by a hosted service that is as convenient and reliable as it is secure. Just think for a moment about all of the confidential information that is conveyed between your employees during the course of a normal business day. Research data, sales figures and client information are but some of sensitive data that are routinely communicated. It is for this reason that any instant messaging solution for your business must reunite certain basic characteristics.

All communication should be encrypted over SSL/TLS. This is the same sort of encryption protocol that is used for online banking and shopping transactions. A corporate instant messaging system should also incorporate some degree of logging functionality. This safeguards the content of the communication on servers for a predetermined period of time in the event that reference must be made back to a specific line of communication at some point in the future. Of course, making certain that the system is in compliance with governmental guidelines, such as HIPAA, SAS70 and PCI standards, is also important.

Having a user-friendly corporate instant messaging system can greatly increase your company’s ease of communication and efficiency. In searching for a solution, however, do not allow yourself to overlook the fundamental requirements for such a system. Always keep in mind that the best instant messaging system will combine user-friendly operation, ease of implementation and maintenance along with top-notch security and compliance elements built in.