Suddenly, IT execs have multiple options for managing instant messaging. Akonix Systems Inc. is debuting its L7 software, which is designed to let IT managers wrap a layer of security around popular consumer IM apps, while a second vendor, WiredRed Software, is introducing an audit-and-reporting server that lets users of its e/pop enterprise IM app log and archive messages.

IM is one of the fastest-growing vulnerabilities in corporate networks. Financial-services firms are particularly under pressure from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Association of Securities Dealers to log IM exchanges with customers. Terra Nova Trading, which deployed the e/pop IM app in April, has been testing the audit-and-reporting server so it can archive messages detailing interactions. Kevin Ott, VP of technology, says the e/pop tools are letting it better manage IM use. "By staying fully informed and staying out ahead, when a ruling from the SEC comes down, we'll be right there," Ott says.

At California State University in San Marcos, security has become a growing concern because of malicious IM attachments coming through the campus firewall, says Mike Irick, assistant director of academic computing. "Things with instant messaging just sail right through," he said. The school has been testing Akonix's L7, using it to delete IM attachments before they get into the network. Irick says that once Akonix refines the antivirus functionality, the school can jettison infected attachments.

Michael Sampson, an analyst with Ferris Research, says that while a product such as L7 is useful in the short term, he thinks companies plagued by ad hoc IM use should consider an IM app designed for businesses. "If I was an IT administrator, I don't know that I'd want to have those public-service clients on my corporate network." The e/pop audit and reporting server software starts at $4,000 to support up to 100 users, while L7, which also includes archiving capabilities, is available for an annual fee of $40 to $45 per user per year. Pricing for both products drops with additional users.