INSTANT MESSAGING FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES
AUGUST 2013
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................... 3
What is Instant Messaging technology?....................................................................3
Where can I find Instant Messaging technology?.......................................................3
How can Instant Messaging benefit my business?......................................................3
The pitfalls of using consumer Instant Messaging for business communication.............5
Openfire Server ­ a business IM solution....................................................................5
Feature list............................................................................................................ 5
Built on open source and open standards: low cost, no licensing issues...............................................5
Powerful.......................................................................................................................................6
Full cross­platform interoperability..................................................................................................6
Easy installation, configuration and management.............................................................................6
Highly secure ...............................................................................................................................7
Directory services aware.................................................................................................................7
Flexible management of contacts and group sorting..........................................................................7
Dedicated group conferencing and message broadcasting..................................................................8
Message store­and­forwarding........................................................................................................8
Easy message archival to PDF..........................................................................................................8
Custom domain name support in IM addresses.................................................................................8
Conclusion............................................................................................................ 8
For more information..............................................................................................8
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Introduction
In this document we will look at the benefits of introducing a dedicated instant messaging service into your business.
We will briefly outline instant messaging technology and its use in a consumer context. Then we will look at the issues involved in using consumer instant messaging services in a business context and how a dedicated business instant messaging service based on the Openfire Server product can address these issues. What is Instant Messaging technology?
Instant messaging (IM) is a popular method for individuals and groups of people to communicate in real­time using the internet. In IM, a software application is launched by each user wishing to engage in a conversation. IM conversations typically take place using typed text input, often with the ability to insert images, web links and files.
Although IM may superficially resemble email in that it is primarily a typed text medium, the critical difference is in the real­time nature of IM. Messages are sent and received instantly, with no delay. IM is much more analogous to a face­to­face or telephone conversation ­ although as we will see later in this document there are particular scenarios in which IM can function as a useful alternative to physical meetings or traditional phone calls. Where can I find Instant Messaging technology?
All major commercial computer operating systems ("OS") feature dedicated IM software enabling the use of IM, usually in tandem with a free consumer service. For example, Microsoft Windows users would typically download and use the Windows Live Messenger application. Apple Mac OS X users have the iChat application included with the OS, and the Ubuntu OS similarly includes the Empathy client.
The recent popularisation of social networking sites (such as Facebook) have brought IM technology to many consumers without having to install a separate IM application, because IM conversations can be held in the web browser itself. The chat feature available to users of Google's free Gmail service is another example of a web­based IM service.
Mobile devices such as those based on the Android OS or Apple's iPhone also include IM functionality.
How can Instant Messaging benefit my business?
For internal business use, IM makes a fantastic alternative to traditional phone conversations or email. Like a phone conversation, IM is carried out in real­time ­ but unlike a phone conversation you do not need to put all other work on hold while you focus solely on the call. Creating an automatic transcript of an IM conversation is very easy to do, whereas transcribing or recording a phone conversation is not.
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Like email, IM uses a typed text medium but unlike email, messages are sent and received instantly. There is no frustrating delay encountered with waiting for a sent email to be received and opened by the other party. IM communication is dynamic and spontaneous, leading to more rapid decision­making and increased productivity. Group discussions are far more efficient using IM conference room functionality, rather than copying multiple recipients in on an email. Every employee would have experienced a regular stream of emails being sent around the office that simply require a one­line or even a one­word response, resulting in email accounts full of needless clutter. IM is perfect for alleviating the strain on your inbox, allowing you and your employees to focus on emails that are more important.
IM software typically features configurable presence information. This is a personalized status attached to your IM account and visible to other people using the IM application. For example, you might set your presence to "Away" if you are at a meeting or out to lunch, or "Do not disturb" if you are focusing on an important project with a deadline. Colleagues can view your presence in their IM application before picking up the phone to call or making the trip to your office. Figure 1 Default presence settings in the Spark IM client.
IM is invaluable for remote work scenarios. Employees out on the road, meeting with clients or working from home can stay connected and converse with their in­office colleagues in a more spontaneous way than with email. In addition, web links and files can be shared directly from within the IM software. IM can also benefit your customers. It can directly handle their queries, either through the use of a publicised IM address for a sales representative, product specialist or support technician, or through an IM­enabled web page launched from your company website. Customers benefit from the real­time nature of the conversation without having to go through the process of submitting a query through a web form or writing an email. Similar to the internal business communications example above, many customer queries made using email and web forms may simply require a brief response, and for this IM is ideal. With an IM message archival feature, communications with customers can be recorded if needed for later reference. INSTANT MESSAGING FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES
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The pitfalls of using consumer Instant Messaging for business communication
The standalone IM applications used with your OS and found in popular social networking sites such as Facebook or Google are focused on consumer activities. That is, they are intended to be used as a convenient way to converse with friends and family members on a casual basis. The functionality and attendant feature set of consumer IM applications and services tends to reflect this. For example, a free consumer IM service may include intrusive advertising built into the application, and the general appearance of the application may not facilitate the easy sorting of large groups of contacts into roles or divisions. Features that may be useful in a business environment, such as the ability to broadcast important messages to many users or search for contact information in a central directory, may be missing from a consumer­focused product. Reliability and performance may be lacking in a consumer IM service. Because the service is provided for free and intended only for casual use, the service provider makes no guarantee for how quickly outages may be restored. A service failure at a critical time for your business can spell lost productivity for your employees and missed opportunities for engaging with customers. Free services typically support millions of domestic users and performance issues are common, resulting in messages that are slow or missing altogether.
The issue of data security should be of particular concern to businesses using free consumer IM services. Employee conversations transmitted over free IM networks flow through computer systems that are totally outside the business owner's control. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that data is not being logged and scrutinised by a third party. Finally, an IM address resembles an email address, taking the form "[email protected]". Free consumer IM services contain the name of their service in the IM address, for example "[email protected]". Just like email, it is desirable to have your company domain name in the IM address, for example "[email protected]". With consumer IM services this is not possible. Openfire Server ­ a business IM solution
Openfire Server ("Openfire") is an IM server product developed from the ground­up to first and foremost support business IM requirements. It is used in tandem with IM client applications to provide a solution that avoids the pitfalls associated with using consumer IM services.
Let's look at some of the key benefits of Openfire.
Feature list
Built on open source and open standards: low cost, no licensing issues
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Openfire is an open source project and uses openly documented technology standards. Competing IM products use closed, proprietary technology leaving INSTANT MESSAGING FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES
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your business at risk of being locked into a particular vendor, with increased software costs and reduced interoperability1.
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There are no software licensing costs. Openfire supports as many computers as you like without restriction nor additional cost.
Powerful
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Openfire scales from tens, to tens of thousands of users, while making exceptionally efficient use of resources.
Full cross­platform interoperability
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A wide variety of IM client applications are available for Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple Mac OS X, Android, and iOS operating systems.
Figure 2 The Xabber IM client for Android.
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Openfire enables communication with any other compatible IM application, of which dozens are available2.
Easy installation, configuration and management
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A basic Openfire installation can be performed in under ten minutes from beginning to end. This is perfect for evaluation or small companies.
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Client installation takes under one minute per computer, with very little to no configuration required. 1 See: http://www.apertura.co.nz/whitepapers/APOpenSource.pdf
2 See: http://xmpp.org/xmpp­software/clients/
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•
Openfire management is via a standard web browser interface ­ no proprietary software nor operating system prerequisite is imposed.
Highly secure •
Openfire can be deployed on­premises: you own the data that flows over the IM network, eliminating the security risk associated with using consumer IM services.
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Openfire features a comprehensive auditing system, allowing you to track IM account logins.
Directory services aware
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Openfire can be integrated with an existing business LDAP directory service (typically used for computer user login accounts and contact information).
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You can view comprehensive contact data from your staff directory all from within IM client applications.
Flexible management of contacts and group sorting
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Openfire enables the IM client application to be automatically populated with contacts that are then sorted into custom groups. This eliminates the need to manually add contacts every time IM software is installed on a computer.
Figure 3 The Spark client with automatically populated roster.
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•
Contacts can be added easily using the Openfire management interface, or automatically retrieved from an existing directory service.
Dedicated group conferencing and message broadcasting
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Ad hoc and permanent conference rooms can be created easily. You can dynamically turn a one­to­one conversation with a colleague or a customer into a group discussion, or create a dedicated conference room for a specific team to meet in at a regular appointed time. For example, the design team could meet in a virtual conference room every Wednesday morning.
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Important messages can be broadcast to groups of contacts in your IM client application roster quickly and easily.
Message store­and­forwarding
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Messages sent to offline contacts will be forwarded to the contact when they next log in to their client ­ a great alternative to voicemail.
Easy message archival to PDF
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Conversations can be archived in Openfire by converting them with a single mouse­click to a cleanly­formatted printable PDF. This is perfect for documenting important conversations between colleagues and customers.
Custom domain name support in IM addresses
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Unlike consumer IM services which include the service name in the IM address ("[email protected]" for example), Openfire allows you to set your company domain name in the IM address. This is critical for conveying a professional appearance and enforcing your brand.
Conclusion
Instant messaging has become a widespread and popular way in which consumers interact online. With Openfire your employees and customers can enjoy its many benefits without having to compromise on security, performance, and interoperability. For more information
Contact:
[email protected]
Apertura Designs Ltd Auckland, New Zealand www.apertura.co.nz © 2013 Apertura Designs. All rights reserved. Made exclusively with open source, open standards software.
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