Lives are at stake in real time, and we're seeing a new level of communication and readiness. Not long ago, instant messaging was the communications mode of choice for chatty teenagers. Right now, there is no standard for instant messaging. And with business use on the rise, the industry and regulators are under increasing pressure to solve this problem. Dozens of companies offer instant messaging, and they all speak different languages.
Small businesses tend to use the free services to converse with employees, customers and suppliers.
At political consulting firm Mindshare Internet Campaigns in Washington, CTO Shabbir Safdar uses ICQ to communicate with his company's dozen employees and their clients. Larger enterprises, like the Navy, are relying on the bigger corporate programs that give them greater control over users and tighter security to keep out eavesdroppers. Privacy Policy Stock data provided by Stockpoint and its data suppliers.