A business instant messenger is a great productivity tool for any office. The urgency of the current economy to cut costs has made the convenience of a quality instant messenger service even more valuable.  Having a business instant messenger with the right features will allow you and your employees to cut travel costs and time incurred for business meetings by allowing attendees to participate right from their desks!

Brosix has all the features you need to save travel dollars and free up time to make your employees more productive. While not all business travel can be avoided, many times voice or video chat combined with the revolutionary screen sharing and whiteboard features that Brosix Instant Messenger includes will offer a valuable alternative. Some of the features available to conduct business meetings using your business instant messenger are: voice chat, video chat, file transfer, co-browse, whiteboard, screenshot, screen sharing, and voice conference.

In addition to reducing travel costs, features like video chat, file transfer, and co-browse make collaboration between distant branches or employees working from home quick and easy. Allowing employees the option to work from home offers further savings by eliminating the overhead costs involved with employee office space.

The co-browse feature allows the participants to share the view and browse web pages together. Any participant can control the page and guide the conversation. Whiteboard allows multiple users to design and brainstorm with tools like painting, color pallets, and text captions to visual ideas. With the addition of instant message texting, voice chat, or video chat, you and your business associates can hold and attend meetings without leaving the comfort and convenience of your desk.

This ability to increase communication between departments, locations, and business partners/clients gives your business added opportunity for growth and development with minimal cost added to your bottom line. Here are more suggested uses for business instant messenger as the new business meeting.

• Pre-presentation planning sessions – instead of arriving several days early and incurring additional hotel costs for the sake of planning sessions, utilize the Brosix instant messenger tools to plan and brainstorm your presentation without leaving the office
• Save potential clients and customers money by making use of voice chat or video chat thus lowering long distance calling
• When clients or co-workers have a question, quickly answer it using the co-browse or screen sharing tool
• Transfer files as you converse using the text messaging feature
• Never fear the confidentiality of your conversations and information sharing thanks to Brosix security measures

It is obvious that instant messaging is an asset to business. With instant messaging, users can communicate more quickly and efficiently with one another than just about any other form of long distance communication. Because of the sensitive nature of many business and professional communications, it is imperative that companies have secure instant messaging. Unfortunately, with IM’s rise in use, hackers have developed ways to attack computers through instant messages. Like email, instant messages can carry threats to computers in the form of viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, among others.

A good deal of the threat comes from the fact that public instant messengers don’t encrypt messages. Additionally, instant messengers allow for the sharing of any file on the user’s computer, so hackers can have access to all those files. And since instant messaging is a relatively new technology, PC security software has not been designed to combat many IM threats. There are several ways hackers can take advantage of these attributes of IM and cause mischief:

• Network Sniffers — These are programs that hackers use to find information online. Using sniffers, hackers can view the content of entire IM conversations and gain access to company information.
• Worms — A worm is similar to a virus in that it can infect a computer and cause problems ranging from annoying to malicious. Unlike a virus, a worm can infect a computer without any human action, such as opening a file. Worms can also multiply on a single computer and send themselves to other computers using the same server.
• Backdoor Trojan Horses — A Trojan horse appears to the victim as a safe file or program, and once it is opened, the hacker can create a backdoor, allowing access to the victim’s computer along with all their files and saved passwords. Classic Trojan horse programs are usually blocked by firewalls, but Trojans sent via instant messages aren’t blocked because the IM user appears to have given permission for the hacker’s access.
• Impersonation — Once a hacker has access to a victim’s files, he can use this information to impersonate the victim. The hacker can send instant messages to people on the person’s buddy list and gain information from the people he contacts.

To prevent others from gaining access to company information, as well as damage to employee’s computers, it is important to have secure instant messaging. The best way to do this is to use an enterprise instant messenger like the one offered by Brosix.com, because they encrypt all IM communications. They also secure instant messaging by allowing the administration to restrict IM use to authorized users. With secure instant messaging, a business can get the benefits of instant messaging without the headaches.

A business instant messenger is a great productivity tool for any office. It will help increase the efficiency with which your business can communicate between different departments and locations. An enterprise business instant messenger client is engineered – for business use specifically – to allow IT administrators to create and monitor user accounts, not only to avoid waste but also to ensure that confidential information is not shared with the wrong parties. Here are some of the many ways that business instant messaging can be utilized in the office.

Business Instant Messenger applications available for IT management:

• Private network
• User activity log
• Contact list management
• Control of user permissions
• Free technical support
• Welcome module

Business Instant Messenger applications available for all office users:

• Instant text messaging
• Offline text messaging
• Chat history
• Voice chat
• Voice conference
• Voice mail
• Video chat
• Video conference
• File transfer
• Screenshot
• Screen sharing
• Co-browse
• Whiteboard
• Automatic updates
• User status alerts

As you can see, a business instant messenger can be very helpful in many ways for getting office tasks done, and when it comes to amazing customer service and features, Brosix.com is the way to go.

With as simple of a tool as instant message, there is no need for long conversations, delays due to emails, or even a need for scheduling a group meeting. Sending your questions through instant message will save forgetting about it later. Here are some more details on how messaging tools can be the perfect communication problem solver.

Communication Problem #1: Breaking someone else’s concentration.

With the ability to get a response in real time, instant messages are very efficient. If the receiver is in the middle of something or in the kind of deep concentration that shouldn’t be broken, he or she can reply at their own convenience.

Communication Problem #2: Long conversations.

How many co-workers have come over to your desk and asked you about your spouse, and then tells you a story for fifteen minutes? This can be curtailed by just letting them know you are in the middle of something, but want to hear all about it later. Ask them to please send it via your instant message tool.

Communication Problem #3: Forgotten questions.

How often do you forget something because you do not have the time to explain what you are trying to say in an email? Interacting through instant message resolves the problem of being too busy to send it now. Maybe you are trying to meet a deadline or just do not want to ruin your own creative flow when in the middle of a particular project. Simply quickly send the question via instant message and receive the answer immediately without breaking your concentration.

Communication Problem #4: Calling a group meeting.

Very often, you’ll find the need to call a group meeting for a general consensus or decision. With instant message, you can simply send everyone a copy of the message and ask for their responses. Or you can use the conference feature of your instant message. Just open a conference chat and everyone can give their input and feedback right away.

All of these communication problems can be solved with one tool which will save valuable company time: instant messaging. And with an instant message from Brosix.com, not only will you receive more features than most but also top security services so that you can rest easy knowing that your company is in safe hands.

A corporate messenger is designed to help you exchange information with coworkers and clients very quickly and efficiently. Instant messaging is faster than phone calls, and unlike emailing, you can get an immediate response. Still, instant messaging can easily get out of control. Quick questions sent by IM can turn into long chats, and answering messages can really break your focus. There are some simple things you can do to use IM to your best advantage.

Restrict Messages to People on Your Contact List

Adjust your privacy setting so that only people on your contact list can message you. This will keep random strangers, and other people you don’t need to talk to, from bothering you and wasting your time. But remember that when you want a new person to message you, they will have to prearrange it some other way, such as by email.

Edit Your Contact List

Restricting IM to those on your corporate messenger list won’t help if you have a hundred people on there. To really cut down on wasted time, you will need to limit contacts to those you really need to keep in touch with. Keeping it to ten or twelve people is a good rule of thumb.

Use Different IM Log-ins for Friends and Work

One way to maximize efficiency is to keep your corporate messenger for work use only. That way you will be offline to your friends while you are at work, and they won’t bother you. Your pals are probably more likely to have long chats with you than coworkers are, so this will really cut down on distractions.

Let People Know When You are Busy

When you are working on something that requires a lot of concentration, set your status as “away.” You can also add other status alerts such as “busy,” “in a meeting,” and “out to lunch.” That way people will have an idea how long they will have to wait for you to be available. Also, if you want to be available for quick questions but not long conversations, just be sure to let the other person know you don’t have time to visit when they message you.

Use Invisibility

If you need to ask someone a question, but you don’t want everyone to know you are online, just use the “invisible” setting. This setting allows you to IM one person at a time, and everyone else will still see you as offline. Someone was thinking when they invented that one!

With identity theft and corporate espionage on the rise, having instant messenger security is essential now more than ever. Hackers can use instant messaging as an unchecked doorway into any computer. Once a hacker has the “in” on one computer, the instant messaging software can be used to infect everyone in a business. Here are some ways that hackers attack a computer and how it can be prevented.

Issues

These are some reasons why instant messenger security is so important. Once a hacker gets into a computer, he or she can send a password stealing virus. This virus will steal the password and other useful information and send it back to the hacker in a variety of ways.  With account information and passwords, a hacker can hi-jack or impersonate a client or co-worker. If a hacker is successful, he or she will attack all the individuals who are allowed to send and retrieve instant messages to first victim. This is why instant messenger security is very important.  Another method that a hacker can use to steal information is through log files. Log files are created to store and send the messages through an instant messaging service. These files can be sent back to the hacker, so that he or she can access them.

Solutions

The only way to have instant messenger security is to use a secure network. There are two main features that security has, which are providing encryption and packaging the message as only for the recipient. With the packaging for recipients, the message goes from the sender to the receiver in a sterile package. This keeps hackers from identifying the parties involved and seeing the contents of the message. Messages are sent by protocol in a manner similar to how a letter is delivered. The instant messenger security also encrypted the message. This encodes the message before sending it, making it harder to read. In order for the receiver or a hacker to read the message, it will need to be decrypted. This decryption will require the use of a Rosetta stone or key. The decryption keys are always changing to provide a secure message.

This is why choosing the right IM client for your business is so vital, and why Brosix.com is the enterprise IM client for you. Brosix.com provides these instant messenger security features and much more so that your business can remain as safe as it needs to be.

With more and more companies using a private business instant messaging client like Brosix it’s easy to have more conversations through the IM client. The problem is that not all conversations should be had through this medium. So here are a few situations where business instant messaging may not be the right tool.

Documentation
Ever had someone commit to a deadline and you were so glad you had that email to hold them to it? Imagine if you had that conversation on your IM client and you had no way to prove the commitment. The fact is that within a company there are many mini-contracts made. If you need to document a response, make sure you have an email or signed document. Instant messaging would not be the tool of choice. Brosix does offer the ability for all conversations to be backed up, but only a system administrator will have access to these files.

Tone is escalating
Even with emoticons and carefully selected words, sometimes people get upset. If you suspect that the person on the other end is getting frustrated it’s probably time to send an email, pick up the phone, or drop by their office. Business instant messaging is for quick messages and communication. When the tone heads south it’s time to use a different method of communication.

Lots of data
We’ve all had an IM conversation where the other person was sending message after message – you couldn’t even keep up because the lines kept moving! When you have a great deal of information to pass along you should use email or physical documents. This also gives the other person the ability to easily organize and store your information without having to copy and paste it out.

Conclusion
Business instant messaging is an excellent tool in many situations, but occasionally it’s simply not the best tool for the job. Make sure you are using the best tool for your situation. If you need to document a response, the conversation’s tone is escalating, or you have lots of data to pass along; consider other forms of communication like email, phone, physical documents, or even dropping by their office.

A corporate instant messenger can be a God send for support teams that find themselves burried with phone calls and voicemails. If employees know to use the corporate instant messenger to contact support, most companies will see a decline in voice mail and call que wait times. This is especially true when employees start getting faster support when they use the corporate instant messenger. 

Once your company is in this mode there are lots of ways to cut support times way down. For example: 

Ask for a screen shot
Have employees send a screen shot of the problem. Many errors can simply be fixed by clicking “OK” but employees are reasonably concerned. Brosix has a built in screen shot tool that makes providing this as easy as a click. The screen shots are already optimized, so you don’t have to worry about those 2MB bitmaps (BMP) files clogging up your servers. 

Keep a list of solutions
Many problems occur and re-occur. Why re-type everything? Keep a database or list of common solutions. When you get the question, just copy and paste the solution right into the chat window. Just remember to have them tell you if the solution did or did not work so you can log your efforts. 

Tell ‘em to wait!
Some problems are simply more urgent than others. If an email server is down and you get a wall of instant messages, don’t be afraid to tell people to wait. Just be professional and provide them with accurate, relevant information.

Use screen sharing
When all else fails, reach for Brosix’s screen sharing software. This will allow you to immediately see the problem and work through a solution. All the while you can coach and teach the employee. 

Conclusion
Getting employees to reach for the corporate instant messenger can be tricky, but well worth the efforts. In larger firms the support call que can quickly become clogged. These tips will help your support staff save some time and keep employees productive.

Most IT directors and managers understand the basics of a corporate messenger and the fundamental functions it should handle. But what about the rest of the world? Lots of small to medium businesses can’t afford a pro to help with day-to-day decisions. So here’s a run down of the basic corporate messenger features you should be looking for when you choose an enterprise instant messenger.

1. Security
Before anything else, security should be your #1 priority with a corporate messenger. No matter how functional or pretty the IM client is, if it can’t keep your valuable information safe then it has no right being on your list.

When looking for security, be sure you to check whethor or not the corporate messenger can handle encrypted chats AND file transfers. Also be sure that the public has zero access to your employees as this will help in productivity as well as prevent accidental loss of valuable information to imposters.

2. Tools
What’s a good corporate messenger if it can’t handle the basic chatting and file sharing functions? Not much. Make sure your corporate messenger of choice has these basics, but look for more. Brosix has screen sharing, co-browsing, video chatting and conferencing, and even voice chatting, plus a whole lot more.

3. Support
This one tends to get ingnored, but support for your corporate messenger is critical. Who do you call if the system goes down? If you go with a company that is too big, and you don’t spend enough with them, you might get stuck on hold for extended periods of time. Look a smaller development firms who will value your business.

4. Cost
Of course, cost is important with a corporate messenger. No, these aren’t free and for good reason. You get a LOT of protection and support when you pay for it. The key is to know your costs on the front end so you don’t get surprised later.

When companies first look at taking on a business IM the most pressing concern is keeping that business IM about business. While almost no system is 100% fool proof, there is a lot that a company can do to keep their business IM from becoming a party zone.

Host it Yourself

If you host the IM on your own network you can control who your users have access to. This means you can keep them separate from their outside of work friends and family. If the only options for communication are professional then the topic is less likely to turn to personal matters.

Limit Access to Features

Does your secretary really need to be able to co-browse? Probably not. The same probably goes for the whiteboard or video calls features. You can save space, and a lot of trouble if your workers aren’t having video chat about their new diets.

Let Them Know About Monitoring

When you have a system on your own network you can reserve the right to randomly sample the conversations. Even if you never sample, your staff will know that they are being watched. That would lead to more business and less pleasure.