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:: 2003/04/11 ::

A Different Take on IM Security

I have never really understood the obsession with encryption that has motivated so many of the competitors in the IM space. Authentication is reasonable, and I get the need for archival of IM content – at least in regulated industries – but encryption is a bit over the top. After all, companies don’t in general encrypt other communication media, notably email and phone calls. I understand that email is passed through the Internet, while IM is transmitted through the various managed IM networks, and may be slightly more accessible in some way. But still, encryption of IM seems awfully high on the agenda for many companies.

As a sweeping generalization, much of what is called IM security seems focused on maintaining an end-to-end encrypted network, so that outsiders can’t gain access to the information flowing through it, or to limit who insiders are allowed to talk to. However, conventional desktop security, as typified by anti-virus applications, hasn’t taken hold in the IM world.

I met with Eric Johnsen, CEO of IMsecure, a start-up approaching IM security from this angle. His take is that IM presents a security problem to enterprise IT in a manner consistent with email. IM poses a security risk in a similar way, namely, a hole in the firewall that malefactors can use to pass viruses and Trojan horses. IMsecure’s technology leverages AOL, MSN, and Yahoo instant messaging clients, allowing enterprises the means to block the gaps in the various protocols that can allow security breeches. The technology provides “a secure execution environment” for these IM clients by packet sniffing through the various protocols, actively countering security attacks. But in a departure for the IM space, the upcoming release of IMsecure will integrate with leading desktop antivirus, firewall, and IDS solutions.

This approach seems much more congruent with conventional desktop security products, and may represent a lower cost and easier to administer approach to baseline security than more elaborate server-based IM security approaches.


:: Stowe Boyd 4/11/2003 05:05:15 PM [link] ::
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Dialogue with Rob Balgley, CEO of Jabber, re: New Funding

I fired off an email to Rob Balgley congratulating him on the new round of funding the company recently announced ($7.2M from Intel and France Telecom), and asking him a few questions to clarify what it all means.

Stowe: Intel is a great partner for you. Is there interest related to your strong position in telecom, or related to your advocacy of a technology associated with open source?

Rob: The short answer is both - Intel's interest in Jabber is a reflection of their belief in open architected solutions, the flexibility and pervasiveness of XML based technologies, the power of presence in real time messaging, and how these come together to form a very powerful platform for collaboration based communications - for both wireless and fixed carriers, as well as the corporate enterprise.

Stowe: The move by France Telecom to acquire more licenses makes you even more of a presence in Europe. Is that a major market for you?

Rob: Europe continues to be a core focus for us - and France Telecom, along with Wanadoo and Orange - have provided Jabber with a key strategic partner as well as a reference customer for that market. France Telecom has been instrumental in helping us with product development related to wireless and internet services, standards support for XMPP, the creation of the Messaging and Presence Interoperability Consortium (MPIC), and support at OMA/Wireless Village. France Telecom is recognized world wide as a leader in information and communication technology and their involvement with Jabber as a financier, customer and partner has been a key element in our company's success. We will also be adding to our existing Jabber team in Europe and hope to fuel additional growth through channel partners.

Stowe: Plans for the capital? How are you planning to invest the funds?

Rob: Most of the capital will be used to accelerate product development and our strengthen our sales and marketing efforts, with a portion also being allocated to expansion in Europe and Asia.

Stowe: Do you sense acceleration/consolidation/maturation in the IM market?

Stowe: I think this is probably the first year that we will see formal budgets for IM in the corporate enterprise as well as a recognition on the part of the wireless and fixed carriers that presence enabled messaging, more than just IM, can create all kinds of interesting new services - and incremental revenue. So, in both cases I see a great deal of opportunity for Jabber - in fact the timing of our financing could not be timed more perfectly. I think anyone who is trying to survive on a IM product that is strong on feature/functionality but weak on architecture - both open and extensible - is in for a rough go and may have to look for other alternatives. I think altogether the market is still pretty nascent - which is why great architecture and truly open standards are becoming the key elements of most buying decisions.

Stowe: Are you planning to diversify, or to focus more on the IM applications of your technology -- which is, as I know, more general that just IM.

Rob: We prefer to think of IM as just the first application to come from presence and in that regard will continue to address both the near-term requirements of that application as well as provide messaging infrastructure as a platform for real time collaboration between people, applications and systems. As today's IM technology matures into the future it will bear little resemblance to where we started with consumer based IM.

discuss Jabber Funding


:: Stowe Boyd 4/7/2003 04:19:38 PM [link] ::
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