Limitng Instant Messaging

I have a request from one of the end users to allow some sort of instant messaging program to be installed on the work computers. I am not opposed to this, but it must be approved by the boss.

The main concern is limiting the "buddies list" to only those at work. Does anyone know of one of the programs - yahoo, aim, msn, trillian, pidgin, etc that you can lock down the buddy lists to only have those from work? We are not interested in hosting our own IM server at this time, but using one of the other ones available.

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dynamik

Not that I know of. Do you have something in place to stop them from using things like: Meebo - Connecting AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Facebook, MySpace messengers

aordal

I know you said you don't want to host your own IM server, but there's an application called eJabberd thats very lightweight and can even run on a laptop on the network. All you really have to do is install the software and start the service.

Then use any xmpp client (pidgin for example) to connect to it. Its super small and light/easy and it's secure since its all internal. Anyways, something to think about.

Bokeh

Right now they are locked down on websites via Content Advisor in IE, not the most robust but it gets the job done.

I will look into ejabberd and see if that might do the trick.

blargoe

Microsoft has hosted Communicator, if you're using Exchange you need to look at this:

Microsoft Office Communications Online | Instant Messaging | BPOS

dynamik

I think you're more of an open-source shop. I've seen a thread or two about various open-source IM servers. I can't find it at the moment, but you might want to search around a bit if you're interested in going that route.

aordal

eJabberd is open source =d

ziggi138

There are 2 programs i can think of. One is Groupwise Messenger by Novell. The University that i used to work for had this, and it worked well.

The other program, Pronto ( Wimba Pronto) is a great messenger client that i use all the time, but it is geared for students.

I think you will have to host both of those clients though.

dynamik

aordal wrote: »

eJabberd is open source =d

What does that emoticon mean? Is it licking it's eye? I don't know how to interpret that...

Yea, I didn't mean to imply that one wasn't, or that it wasn't a good one. There was just a thread awhile ago that had a list of similar things.

undomiel

I set up ejabberd once and it was pretty easy to get going and work with. Management changed their mind the next day so it went bye-bye. But at least in that respect I can give a recommendation for that one.

Kasor

IM is never needed at work. You got phone for priority issue, gmail for all other following up. Why do they need IM? The management need to fire.

Stotic

My company uses an inhouse solution. Theyre helpful because you can multitask alot better. It is a lot easier to im someone a question and let them get back to you at their conveinence rather than putting them on the spot at their desk or cluttering their email.

Lizano

Kasor wrote: »

IM is never needed at work. You got phone for priority issue, gmail for all other following up. Why do they need IM? The management need to fire.

I actually disagree. IM gets a lot of work done for me. If used wisely.

Forsaken_GA

Kasor wrote: »

IM is never needed at work. You got phone for priority issue, gmail for all other following up. Why do they need IM? The management need to fire.

Phone's don't help when I need to transfer technical data to a person that needs to see it. Too much room for error, and too slow.

Put sensitive corporate information out on Gmail? Are you nuts?

We run our own Jabber server, and it's a life saver. It allows quick and effective communication between our departments. I don't know what your work environment is like, and for your case, what you say may be true, but I assure you it is not true in all cases.

wd40

We use IBM SameTime "it works with Lotus Notes",and we love it.
it can save money on international calls if you work in an international company.
+
Some times it is difficult for non native English speaking people to understand other non native English speaking people from a different region <Arabs, Indian and Chinese>, Actually we some times find it difficult to understand what our British colleagues are saying.
+
You can be involved in conversations with more than one person throughout the day and have a log of each conversation, and you can get back to any of them with a double click.

IBM software - IBM Lotus Sametime

aordal

dynamik wrote: »

What does that emoticon mean? Is it licking it's eye? I don't know how to interpret that...

I'm not sure really, it's something I picked up back when I used to play EQ and now it seems to find its way into everything I type!

RobertKaucher

Lizano wrote: »

I actually disagree. IM gets a lot of work done for me. If used wisely.

I agree. We use OpenFire at my work. Users find it easy. They are aware the chats are logged. It makes it easy for me to contact someone when I am on the phone with someone else. It also makes it easy for me to contact people at our second location when someone there is on the phone.