Jabber adds encryption instant messaging
Jabber.com Inc. announced Thursday an upgrade to its Jabber Instant Messenger application aimed at enterprise users that includes encryption of many messaging functions.
Jabber's program allows users to chat online in real time and both competes and interoperates with market-leading messaging products such as America Online Inc.'s Instant Messenger, Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Messenger and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Messenger.
Instant messaging is increasingly being used as an enterprise application for collaboration and communication, and the new release of Jabber, version 1.7, attempts to address the needs of the enterprise, the company said in a statement. Encryption will offer companies a greater degree of security and control of their instant messaging, the company said, adding that the new version of Jabber now supports SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption, a common encryption method used on the Web.
The program encrypts the connection between the Jabber client and the server, instant-message logs and the program's password, said Griffin Caruolo, manager of business development at Jabber. These features allow companies to be sure their confidential conversations will remain that way, he said.
The feature was added to the program after clients asked the company for it, Caruolo said, noting that between 10 and 12 companies are currently evaluating whether they will deploy the software.
There is recent precedent indicating that encryption of instant messaging may be needed by companies. In early March, the computer belonging to Sam Jain, chief executive officer of struggling Internet firm eFront Media Inc., was hacked into and had data, including instant messaging logs, stolen, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. To make matters worse, those logs were then posted on multiple Web sites, revealing confidential information to the public. Though Jain denied to the Times that the logs were authentic, three former eFront executives told the Times that the logs were real. If the logs had been encrypted, they might never have been posted online.
The new version of Jabber is available now for free download from the company's Web site. Jabber, located in Denver, can be reached at +1-303-308-3231 or online at http://www.jabber.com.
ITworld.com
Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 deliver industry leading Windows data protection and system recovery. Download this whitepaper to find out the top reasons to upgrade and how to get continuous data protection and complete system recovery.
Data and system loss — from a hard drive failure, malicious attack, natural disaster, or simple human error — can happen anytime. Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Make sure you have a secure recovery strategy in place. Symantec's latest backup and system recovery technology can efficiently restore critical applications, individual emails and documents and even restore your entire system in minutes in the event of a loss.
Businesses face a growing challenge to ensure that the IT environment is properly protected. Backup Exec 12 integrates with other applications in the Symantec family of products, to complement your current data protection strategy, keep your data securely backed up and make it recoverable when you need it most.
