FaceTime Communications Inc, which provides software for managing instant messaging (IM) and peer-to-peer traffic, has reworked its IMAuditor security software so it can check the use of corporate BlackBerry devices in FSA and SEC regulated companies
The company said IMAuditor version 9.7 will integrate with BlackBerry Enterprise Server to capture SMS and other messages for compliance purposes.
People working in the financial services sector and other regulated companies and using Blackberry smartphones to send SMS messages can now be monitored by the system, which provides real-time visibility and logs of group chats over Microsoft’s Office Communications Server (OCS).
Logging and archiving all electronic records, including messages sent over instant messaging and SMS is a key requirement for companies.
“With IMAuditor, organisations can allow certain employees to use these forms of text messaging, while blocking others,” the company explained. “The integration of IMAuditor with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server also makes it possible for compliance officers to review SMS and PIN messages sent by corporate BlackBerry users.”
Nick Sears, VP EMEA of FaceTime explained that without monitoring or logging these conversations, organisations not only leave themselves open to regulatory issues such as compliance with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), but also run the risk of wayward employees abusing the system.
IMAuditor gives visibility into who joined and who left a particular chat room, and at what point. The system sits on the local area network, scans and applies established policies to all the popular file types transferred over unified communications platforms such as Microsoft OCS and IBM Lotus Sametime, as well as public IM networks.