Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly seeing instant messaging (IM) as a valuable means of communication.

While it offers greater convenience than email, it is also attracting the unwanted attention of virus writers and hackers, reports Computerworld.

Lee Weiner, senior product manager at Symantec, told the publication that as IM becomes more and more common in a business environment, the problem will inevitably become worse.

"This is largely because IM is an unprotected method of communication, whereas email is fairly secure at this point," he continued.

There have been several high profile security alerts involving instant messaging vehicles in the last couple of years and experts have been warning for some time that it could become a prime target for cybercriminals.

Symantec has recently introduced its IM Manager 8.0, which is installed on a server inside a business' network.

"It acts as a proxy and can filter and control all of the IM communication, including public IM networks like AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk and enterprise networks like Microsoft's Live communication server and IBM's Sametime," said Mr Weiner.

It is an offering that will be welcomed in the world of IT support, as businesses in London and throughout the world seek the best possible solutions to their security concerns.


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