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Akonix Warns Corporations of Risqué Employee IM Behavior


WEBWIRE

San Diego, Calif. – March 6, 2007 – Organizations potentially face thousands of lawsuits associated with hostile workplace and sexual harassment claims stemming from inappropriate instant messaging (IM) use, according to Akonix Systems, Inc., provider of the most deployed IM security and compliance products in the world.

The company’s January 2007 online poll reveals that 31% of 388 respondents have been threatened or harassed by a co-worker over IM. In addition, IDC predicts that the number of business IM users will reach 80 million in 2007 , meaning organizations without acceptable usage policies and proper IM network management tools could encounter increasing numbers of legal issues.

Finally, a recent study from the Radicati Group shows that the enterprise IM market is expected to grow to $282 million by 2010, further increasing corporate liability risks associated with unmonitored IM use.

Following Congressman Mark Foley’s infamous IM scandal that brought the inappropriate use of IM into the US public eye in early October 2006, enterprises are working on preventing similar situations from happening to them. The results of the Akonix survey show that harassment over IM is widespread in corporate America, creating greater potential for lawsuits and legal actions against the companies on whose networks these offending messages are being sent.

“If businesses continue ignoring unsanctioned employee IM communications, corporate attorneys might find themselves busy attempting to resolve a growing number of complaints and lawsuits,” said Don Montgomery, vice president of marketing at Akonix Systems. “Properly-managed IM networks foster collaboration, increase staff productivity and ensure compliance, while reducing risks of potential long-term legal troubles.”

About Akonix
Akonix is the most deployed IM security product in the world, enabling companies of all sizes to install productive, enterprise-wide IM that is secure, compliant and managed.

Over 1.9 million people around the world are protected by Akonix products. With more than 20 patent applications, Akonix’s 360° Security provides the industry’s only automatically-updated protection to block viruses and malware for both enterprise and public IM systems. Akonix is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, an IBM Business Partner and an HP Business Partner. The company is licensed and certified by America Online®, Microsoft and Yahoo! to inspect and archive IM traffic. Furthermore, Akonix has developed business alliances and integrated its technology with leading enterprise IM platforms, including Reuters, IBM, Jabber, Inc., Parlano and Bloomberg, and message archiving products from EMC, HP, ZANTAZ and Intradyn.

An IM industry first, the Akonix IM Security Center (http://www.imsecuritycenter.com) provides real-time information about worms, viruses and other vulnerabilities that target IM and P2P networks. The company issues monthly and quarterly IM threat watch reports to track key trends and vulnerabilities.

For further information on the company, please visit http://www.akonix.com.



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