Tara Carter Smith
May 6, 2003
I385T - Knowledge Management Systems
Spring 2003 - Turnbull
Knowledge Management and Messaging
Instant Messaging (IM) is the communication tool of the internet-age. The
community that is created by the awareness of other people online, and the real-
time conversation IM enables, makes this type of communication essential for the
global experience. Instant Messaging has reached more than 200 million people
and is forecasted to connect 500 million users by 2006.1 It is a virtually free
communication tool that is able to connect people instantly, creating interactive
possibilities in a multitude of situations. Messaging has become a standard
component of many web-based activities. After examining the foundations of
instant messaging, this report will focus on enterprise applications for knowledge
management.
Foundations of Instant Messaging
Instant messaging is an Internet protocol (IP)-based application that
provides convenient communication between people using a variety of
different device types. The most familiar today is computer-to-computer
instant text messaging, but IM also can work with mobile devices…and
can incorporate voice or video.2
Consumer platforms drove the development of instant messaging,
beginning with the 1996 Mirablis release of ICQ. It was the first tool to feature a
popular, real-time communication application. ICQ (shorthand for “I seek you”) is
still widely used today, though it was acquired by AOL in 1998. Based on this
1
ZDNet Australia. Instant Messaging for Business. February 5, 2003.
2
International Engineering Consortium. Web – IEC: Instant Messaging.
technology, AOL’s Instant Messenger (AIM) application is currently the most
widely-used instant messaging platform. AIM is a proprietary-protocol system,
like most other instant messaging utilities. This means that, in most cases, both
end users must be on the same platform in order to communicate. While some
utilities do allow users from different platforms to exchange messages, there is
no standard protocol for establishing presence.
Presence
Presence is the ability for a user to display to others that he/she is online,
as well as the ability to detect that others are online also. Presence is essential
to the foundation of any instant messaging system.
With presence, users indicate their status – whether they’re available or
not…This feature reduces phone tag, enables ad hoc meetings to occur,
and in general facilitates the sort of electronic communications that might
naturally occur in person.3
The capability for users to connect with other people, and for other people to
connect with them, is what makes instant messaging the most direct, efficient
form of communication available for a wide variety of interactive tasks. Some
utilities have expanded the idea of presence to include sharing applications in
use, works in progress, and additional location information.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is working on a standard
protocol for IM and Presence. The goal of this work is to enable “an internet-
scale end-user presence awareness, notification, and instant messaging
3
Greenfield. “IM’s Buddy Brawl.” Network Magazine. December 4, 2002.
2
system.”4 This working group is pursuing the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
and SIMPLE (SIP for IM and Presence Leveraging Extensions) as the standard
for the industry, and is supported by Microsoft and IBM. An alternate standard
for IM based on Jabber’s XML protocol, XMPP (Extensible Messaging and
Presence Protocol), is being pursued by another IETF working group 5.
Instant Messaging supports a variety of interactive communication tasks.
It is an informal tool which is primarily used for quick questions and clarifications;
coordination and scheduling; arranging impromptu social meetings; and keeping
in touch with friends and family.6 The success of IM as a communication tool lies
in the fact that it is virtually immediate, flexible, and expressive. In many cases, it
is easier to get a quick response through IM than with a phone call or email
message. According to an ethnographic study reported by Nardi, Whittaker and
Bradner, instant messaging also supports the non-interactive aspects of
communication by providing an easy tool for screening presence, and the option
to delay responding through plausible deniability. These functions give IM users
more control over their interactions than other communication mediums.
Comparing Consumer and Enterprise IM Platforms
Given the pressure of the knowledge-based economy for just-in-time
processes and real-time decision-making, instant messaging has recently begun
4
Internet Engineering Task Force. Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol Charter.
5
Greenfield. “IM’s Buddy Brawl.” Network Magazine. December 4, 2002.
6
Nardi, Whittaker, and Bradner. Interaction and Outeraction. Page 81-82.
3
to capture the interest of corporate planners as much as it has the interest of
teenagers. “The Gartner Group predicts that by 2004, sixty percent of real-time
communication…will be driven by IM technology.”7 There are essentially three
levels of IM platforms available today: consumer (usually free) systems,
enterprise (usually more secure) systems, and hybrid systems that try to bridge
features of both. The consumer-level platforms include AIM, MSN and Yahoo
Messenger, and ICQ. These utilities are proprietary protocol systems, requiring
each end-user to be on the same system, and are not considered secure.
IM applications for business allow the company to establish much more
control over the communication function. Systems targeted for business use
include Lotus Sametime (soon to be Lotus Instant Messaging), Microsoft
Exchange, and Jabber. The current trend in Enterprise IM applications is for
companies to manage their own user namespace. This control allows a business
to integrate directories; ensure message encryption for each end-user; and
provide auditing/reporting mechanisms for more secure communication than is
currently available through the consumer IM platforms.8
Hybrid systems claim to add increased security and functionality to the
publicly-available IM utilities while exhibiting presence across platforms. One
hybrid system is IM Age’s IM-Policy Manager, which is purported to be a “low-
cost security tool that allows organizations to safeguard IM over public
7
ZDNet Australia. Instant Messaging for Business. February 5, 2003.
8
Chu. “Tools Help Make IM Ready for Enterprise.” EWeek.com December 16, 2002.
4
networks.”9 The company promises “seamless integration” with multiple
platforms, international support, and encryption. The Yankee Group recently
published a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of
instant messaging system.
Comparison of IM Systems10
Consumer IM Proprietary IM Hybrid Model
Systems Systems
Companies/ AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Communicator, Inc. IM-Age; IMlogic; in
Products ICQ Hub IM System; conjunction with a
Lotus Sametime; MS proprietary IM
Exchange; Jabber system and allowing
IM communication
with consumer IM
systems
Advantages Free to use; vast user Higher level of Expanded
base familiar with security; greater functionality and
public IM clients; control over choice for users;
simple user interface; employee use and takes advantage of
low administrative screen names; ability existing IM
overhead costs to archive instant infrastructure built up
messages for by public IM
compliance purposes; companies
can upload corporate
directory to buddy
list
Disadvantages No archiving Higher initial training Firms entering the
capabilities; low level costs for employees space are generally
of security; high not familiar with small and lack
potential for viruses system; can be very decades of experience
to enter corporate expensive to deploy in the IM space; cost
networks; lack of on a per-employee increases as the
control over basis; generally products are used in
employee use, screen incompatible with conjunction with
names, and consumer IM systems other enterprise-level
transferring of IM systems
confidential materials
9
IM-Age Software Inc. Press Release. April 1, 2003.
10
The Yankee Group. Instant Messaging in the Enterprise. August 12, 2002
5
Other Instant Messaging Applications
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is “a major real-time textual group messaging
system.”11 IRC conversations, like all group-messages, take place on channels –
commonly known as chat rooms. The volume and arbitrary identification of
participants makes it difficult to connect with interesting/relevant conversation.
Butterfly is a software agent that “samples the content of all the [IRC] channels,
and makes recommendations using a keyword-based model of interest.”12 The
agent allows users to designate three levels of interest in a topic – normal, great,
and negative.
There are a growing number of utilities that offer cross-platform presence
and messaging functions. Trillian is a notable example of this type of application.
The freeware version of the application has been gaining popularity over the last
year, and Trillian Pro, released last fall, has also received a lot of attention. The
Pro version, which costs $25 and has a yearly user fee, is customizable and
skinnable. A software development kit is available for third party developers to
create plug-ins for the program. Plug-ins already available include email
integration, stock ticker and news headlines, and a browser. While Trillian allows
users to IM across platforms, the company has not entered into formal access
11
Van Dyke, Lieberman, and Maes. Butterfly. Page 39.
12
Van Dyke, Lieberman, and Maes. Butterfly. Page 39.
6
agreements with the other IM companies, meaning that communications are not
guaranteed to be operational – though there have been few disruptions thus far.
Enterprise Applications for Instant Messaging
The Gartner Group estimates that seventy percent of companies will use
IM by the end of 2003, and that half of all interactions between companies and
their customers will involve IM by 2005.13 Therefore, IT departments should be
more active in creating corporate policies for instant messaging.
It took more than ten years before enterprises recognized and effectively
addressed problems of (e-mail) security, reliability, and business policy.
Enterprises must pay proper attention to IM usage now, lest they repeat
the painful lessons taught by e-mail.14
Companies should be focused on redirecting IM usage from the personal gossip
enabled by consumer IM tools, towards more collaborative uses through
enterprise IM applications.
There is a broad consensus that instant messaging is an integral
component of web-based applications for business and personal communication.
“[IM] is not restricted to customer service. It can be used for scheduling,
conferring among colleagues, and communicating with professionals outside the
company – any area where instant communication and response are
desirable.”15 The ease of a virtually real-time, virtually free tool for connecting
13
Greenfield. “IM’s Buddy Brawl.” Network Magazine. December 4, 2002.
14
Instant Messaging Planet. Instant Messaging Planet FAQ. Quoting David Smith of the Gartner
Group.
15
Cutter Consortium Bookstore. Knowledge Management: Tools and Strategies for Real-Time
Collaboration and Exchange.
7
individuals and systems is the chief factor in its ubiquity. In a recent survey by
the Osterman Research Group, ninety-three percent of one hundred and two
companies with more than one thousand employees say that they are currently
using instant messaging or expect to use IM on their networks in the near future.
Thirty-three percent of the survey respondents reported that their companies had
chosen an IM standard; and twenty-eight percent currently block IM traffic.16
Business IM systems offer secure communications, usually coupled with
other peer-to-peer applications. Enterprise features take instant messaging from
being simply a platform for casual chatting, to a powerful tool for knowledge
management. In a recent report, Instant Messaging for Business, five key
considerations are delineated. Three issues are related to the support required
for system operations, client platforms, server platforms, and directories. If the
IM system is expected to connect customers with the enterprise system, then
cross-functionality with consumer IM platforms will be important. Enterprise
platforms should also log and archive IM chats. This feature is key to the use of
IM for many businesses. Under current federal regulations for both financial and
health-related companies, communications between client and provider should
be secure, confidential, and documented. Enterprise IM applications fall under
the same guidelines that currently require companies to archive email and phone
records.
16
Kontzer, Tony. “Instant Messaging is Nearly Ubiquitous, Survey Confirms.” InternetWeek.com.
April 2, 2003.
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Features to Consider in an IM Package17
1. Client platform support.
2. Server platform support.
3. Directory support.
4. Interoperability with public IM systems to
communicate with customers and clients.
5. Server-based logging to track and capture
communications.
Jabber
Jabber has established itself as a corporate IM system. Jabber is an open
source, XML-based protocol that allows for distributed, yet private, namespace
and single-point conversation management. In addition to indicating
online/offline presence, Jabber can also provide information about location,
applications in use, and other contextual details. The Jabber system also allows
for IM conversations to be centrally-logged. Since Jabber can support peer-to-
peer, peer-to-application, and application-to-application communication, in real-
time and asynchronously, as well as communicate with users on multiple
platforms, it has become an attractive enterprise IM platform.
Instant Messaging for Knowledge Management
17
ZDNet Australia. Instant Messaging for Business. February 5, 2003.
9
The act of connecting with someone else through simple protocols, across
a variety of devices and software applications, is revolutionizing communication
in the information age. A 2002 report by the Meta Group lists nine important
trends in the future of instant messaging. Several of these are knowledge
management functions for IM including: archiving, presence integration with
email and other applications, mobile support, and added functionality for file
sharing, videoconferencing and whiteboarding.18 Archived IM chats allow the
participants to accurately retrieve important details from a transcript at any time,
just as people involved in a collaborative project would save email for later
reference. Through presence, IM helps to create a sense of community that is
essential to building the relationships required for sharing knowledge. IM offers a
more efficient alternative to traditional telephone calls, and with the added
functionality of many enterprise platforms, is more cost-effective than current
web-conferencing applications. Instant communication is truly becoming the
ubiquitous tool for business in the twenty-first century.
Enterprise applications that combine the functionality of IM with other
document and file-sharing features will provide companies with a powerful new
tool for fostering communication, information sharing, and knowledge
management.
Messaging tools and affinity communities [direct file-sharing groups] can
open up intellectual property and data that are otherwise hidden in
departmental offices and servers. Now that knowledge management is
such a big priority for so many companies (80 percent of the world’s
18
Cain. Meta Report: The Future of Internet Messaging. May 1, 2002.
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biggest are dabbling in KM, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers and the
Conference Board), businesses can reap benefits from P2P that they don’t
care to measure in dollars.19
The communication that is enabled by instant messaging is a key component of
knowledge management. While current IM platforms are still working to define
features for business applications, workers have already brought IM into
corporate use. The challenge facing knowledge managers is to redirect IM
usage and capabilities to the benefit of clients, employees, and the enterprise.
19
Rutherford. The P2P Report. Knowledge Management Research Center.
11
References
Cain, Matt. Meta Report: The Future of Internet Messaging. May 1, 2002.
Online. Available: http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/it_res/article.php/
1025911. Last Accessed: May 5, 2003.
Chu, Francis. “Tools Help Make IM Ready for Enterprise.” EWeek.com
December 16, 2002. Online. Available: http://www.eweek.com/print_
article/0,3668, a=34945,00.asp. Last Accessed: April 5, 2003.
Cutter Consortium Bookstore. Knowledge Management: Tools and Strategies for
Real-Time Collaboration and Exchange. Online. Available:
http://www.cutter.com/cgi-bin/catalog/store.cgi?action=link&sku=RP62I.
Last Accessed: May 5, 2003.
Greenfield, David. “IM’s Buddy Brawl.” Network Magazine. December 4, 2002.
Online. Available. http://www.networkmagazine.com/article/NMG2002
1203s0010. Last Accessed: April 5, 2003.
IM-Age Software Inc. Press Release. “IM-Age Software Inc. Improves Security
of Public Instant Messaging Networks.” April 1, 2003. Online. Available:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030401/datu043_1.html. Last Accessed:
April 2, 2003.
Instant Messaging Planet. Instant Messaging Planet FAQ. Online. Available:
http://www.instantmessaging planet.com/faq/. Last Accessed: April 2,
2003.
International Engineering Consortium. Web – IEC: Instant Messaging. Online.
Available: http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/instant_msg/index.html. Last
Accessed: May 4, 2003.
Internet Engineering Task Force. Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol
Charter. Online. Available: http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/impp-
charter.html. Last Accessed: May 4, 2003.
Kontzer, Tony. “Instant Messaging is Nearly Ubiquitous, Survey Confirms.”
InternetWeek.com. Online. Available: http://www.internetweek.com/story/
showArticle.jhtml?articleID=8600055. Last Accessed: April 2, 2003.
Miller, Jeremy. “Jabber: Conversational Technologies.” Peer-to-Peer:
Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies. Andy Oram, editor.
O’Reilly and Associates, Sebastopol, California. 2001.
12
Nardi, Bonnie A., Steve Whittaker, and Erin Bradner. Interaction and
Outeraction: Instant Messaging in Action. ACM. 2000.
Rutherford, Emelie. The P2P Report. Knowledge Management Research
Center. Online. Available: http://www.cio.com/research/knowledge
edit/p2p_content.html. Last Accessed: May 5, 2003.
Van Dyke, Neil W. Henry Lieberman, and Pattie Maes. Butterfly: A
Conversation-Finding Agent for Internet Relay Chat. ACM. 1999.
The Yankee Group. Instant Messaging in the Enterprise. Online. Available:
http://www.yankeegroup.com/public/products/research_note.jsp?ID=8859.
Last Accessed: May 5, 2003.
ZDNet Australia. Instant Messaging for Business. February 5, 2003.Online.
Available. http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/software/business/
story/0,2000023555,20271821,00.htm. Last accessed: April 6, 2003.
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