Davis Foster, Review: QuickFlash for Secure Intraoffice Instant Messaging
TechnoLawyer member David Waddle asks:
"Okay, I know I may be a little late to the party but I have just discovered Instant Messaging. I use Yahoo Messenger and I am going to look at MSN Messenger; this is because different friends use one of the two types. I wondered why companies do not use these IM services for informal internal communication — or do they? Am I just out of step with the rest of the world? Or is there a major drawback that I am unaware of? I realize that IM does not replace e-mail but it does cut down on some needless e- mails and phone calls."
Manuel A. Quilichini responded:
"IM has become a very valuable tool, and I convinced the company to adopt it for higher management and some mid- level managers. After some resistance, Microsoft's Messenger was deployed, and it has been a success.... My experience with IM is that I could not operate without it, so I recommend you give it a try. You can always deactivate this feature if you feel it does not meet your expectations."
Kurt L. Schoettler wrote:
"There are some companies that do provide messaging software that can be installed and run on a network for internal communications. However, keep in mind if you are using programs like Yahoo, AIM, MSN Messenger or similar public IM software these conversations are going outside your firm (unlike an internal e-mail that stays on your internal servers). Would you want — or better yet can you afford — the potential of someone eavesdropping or the service provider having access to what could be considered confidential communications?..."
At this 5 person office we use a program called QuickFlash by Arm. This provides an internal alternative to IM services, along with some other functionalities (Do Not Disturb, as an example). I have used this software for well over 5 years. A check of the task manager shows that it uses 1,304 kb of RAM, so has no real impact on the available RAM. I have always been pleased with its features, and simplicity, and like the idea of keeping the communications in house.
Davis Foster
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