Scandinavian stock trading firm Norse Securities is to use instant messaging software from IMLogic to secure and record IM communications between brokers and clients.
The Oslo-based broker for the financial, energy and telecoms sectors will use the IM Manager package to keep a record of its real-time communications and protect the infrastructure from the fast-growing number of cyber threats.
Norse Securities IT manager Joachim Sandvik, says instant messaging has grown to become an integral part of the firm's communications capabilities.
"Our team of traders uses IM to support phone and e-mail conversations with customers and confirm the pricing and availability of shares, while the IT team uses IM primarily to communicate with suppliers," he says. "IMlogic IM Manager enables us to manage and record IM conversations, protect our users from IM viruses and worms entering our network, and prevent file transfers from leaving the system."
Security and management issues associated with the unsolicited spread of IM on the trading floor have moved some firms to impose blanket bans on the technology.
Rather than block IM use, Sandvik says Norse evaluated several archiving and security options, eventually settling on IM Manager for its ease of implementation and compatibility with the company's Microsoft Windows 2003 system.