Business IM: Risks and Resolutions

Do your users use IM in your network? If I ask this questions, I believe above 95% network administrators will answer: Yes, of course.

MSN, Yahoo IM, Aol IM, Google Talk etc,with the rapid development of instant messaging tools,which are not just used for personal entertainment, but for workplace tools. However,according to a survey on the internet, most IM users are ignorant of its risks that may cause to the organization. Here we list the main Business IM Risks and Resolutons:



• Information leaks – Confidential materials, intellectual property, or proprietary information can be revealed, either intentionally or accidentally,through IM sessions or file transfers.

• Worms, viruses, etc. – Numerous malware programs target public IM systems and allow them to bypass standard firewalls and mail server antivirus systems.

• Network hacks and intrusions – Hackers use IM operating ports to bypass other security barriers and enter the corporate network unimpeded.

• Compliance, regulatory, or legal violations – Organizations subject to government oversight and compliance mandates may find themselves creating legal issues by failing to properly monitor, log, and regulate IM sessions and content.

• Productivity loss – Idle chat can disrupt employee productivity.

So many risks IM has, does it mean that we have to prohibit Instant Messaging in workplace, of course not, IM has its irreplaceable benifits other than other communication methods,as email, phone call, SMS. but we have some good suggestions to decrease the IM risks.

• Deploy network analysis tools like Colasoft Network Analyzer in your computer, to detect network intrusion attempts, monitor network usage, gain information for effecting a network intrusion.
  


• Regularly remind your users to update or upgrade their antivirus software
  


• Create written policies – Clearly and explicitly define acceptable and unacceptable use of instant messaging within the business environment.

Ten Reasons Make Network Sniffers an Essential Network Tools

No matter whether you are network administrators or IT managers, you should not be unfamiliar to the network analysis tool - network Sniffer, also known as a network analyzer, protocol analyzer or sniffer) which has been widely used by kinds of organizations, schools, enterprises, government institutions etc.

Maybe you are yet supirsed at why more and more enterprises, like IBM, Intel, Epson, Airbus, Ericsson etc, love to deploy network sniffer to their company’s network? OK, take a fresh coffee now, then look at the following problems, and ask yourself, as a network administrator or IT manager, if these issues are just what you have met?

Rushing from one network problem to another every day?

Have no way to judge if your network has been intruded?

Helpless collecting convincing information to submit your boss even if you have realized that your network system has been intruded.

No idea if current network usage is equal to actual need?

Know nothing of how many staffs are not killing their time by chatting with friends, browsing irrelevant webpage etc, but focusing on their job?

Yes, every question listed above has puzzled many network administrators, but no worry, network sniffer can easily help you out with its strong functions, here are network sniffer’s ten main uses.

* Analyze network problems

* Detect network intrusion attempts

* Gain information for effecting a network intrusion

* Monitor network usage

* Gather and report network statistics

* Filter suspect content from network traffic

* Spy on other network users and collect sensitive information such as passwords (depending on any content encryption methods which may be in use)

* Reverse engineer proprietary protocols used over the network

* Debug client/server communications

* Debug network protocol implementations

Currently, there are dozens of network sniffers in the market, some are very complex to use like wireshark, you must be versed in networking,; some are designed for common network administrators, such as Colasoft Network Analyzer, all- in-one & easy –to use, which are more and more accepted and welcome.