Depending on your point of view, Instant Messaging along with Voice over IP just took a major step toward credibility with the new release of Google Talk (beta), or the market became cluttered with another ho-hum IM and VoIP service. Since Google made financial history and leads the search market, executives adore them, so the corporate response should be favorable.

Who will care? Those executives who believe Google will be a better corporate choice than AOL, Yahoo, or Skype. I can't say it will, but I can say it's more "corporate" than AOL et al. Security fans may point out that Skype's IM client, just like it's voice service, is automatically encrypted, and the price remains right (free).

On the other hand, Skype's tricks in bypassing firewalls have aggravated plenty of IT executives, so that alone may sway folks to look more kindly toward Google. Skype also includes file transfer (slow but also encrypted), meaning they provide the whole "Instant Communications" suite with some unusual bonuses.

Who won't care? Those who believe Microsoft has (or will soon have) the best product, and those who don't want IM or peer-to-peer voice in their company at all.

People waiting on Microsoft exchange features and familiarity for the safe choice. Hope they're happy. Many vendors have excellent corporate IM products that may or may not interface with the rest of the IM world (Google doesn't, by the way). Those who don't want IM inside their company at all exchange security and control of user interaction with the outside world of IM clients for their blissful state of ignorance.

Users want, and use, IM whether the company provides them a service or not. If your company doesn't trust AOL or Yahoo (the usual suspects), perhaps they will trust Google. The name retains plenty of cachet, and they exude the air of winners.

Do I like IM? Listen to me here and decide for yourself.

ITworld.com, Enterprise Networking

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