Instant messaging is the ability to easily see whether a chosen
friend or co-worker is on-line and, if they are, to exchange
messages with them. The immediacy of the message exchange
distinguishes it from e-mail and also makes a continued exchange
simpler than sending e-mail messages back and forth. Most exchanges
are text-only, although some services allow attachments.
Reuters reports that VeriSign will issue security services to
companies for authenticating employees who want to send and receive
encrypted messages using AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).
Reuters is itself developing an instant messaging service in
partnership with 25 financial institutions and Microsoft, according
to a report by Computer Weekly. The magazine also reports that
investment bank ABN Amro has begun using instant messaging to
reduce its reliance on e-mail and to allow faster sharing of news,
information and documents.
