Enterprise Instant Messengers In A Bad Economy- An Analysis Of Cost And Benefits_48003

Every company wants to be at the cutting edge and reap the benefits of having an advantage over the competition. When times are tough however, a strategic advantage tends to lose ground to a more immediate priority staying in business. An interesting sort of a group think takes over and companies go into slash mode. In some ways this thinking is beneficial. In a few cases however it turns out to be a big mistake. Today we are going to take a look at enterprise instant messaging to find out if it is the exception or the rule.

The Costs of an Enterprise Instant Messenger

The costs of setting up an enterprise instant messenger will vary depending on the size of your organization and the messenger service that you choose. As a rule of thumb a medium sized organization can expect to pay between several hundred and a few thousand dollars in order to set up an enterprise instant messenger. As with many technology projects this initial stage is the most expensive. Once you reach the maintenance phase things will be significantly less expensive. When your enterprise instant messenger is hosted on your own systems its maintenance. This will effectively reduce the added costs to zero.

The Benefits of an Enterprise Instant Messenger

Now that we have looked at costs of an enterprise instant messenger, it is time to look at the benefits. The real benefit of an enterprise instant messenger is its effect on communications. This effect has a two fold benefit. First it increases the speed of communication. This is good if information needs to be shared or decisions made in real time. The second benefit is to openness in communication. Increased openness means that teams can work more closely, even if they are not at the same physical location. No longer will messages have to be passed on second hand. Long email group CC chains will be a thing of the past.

Now your organization can make a solid cost/benefits analysis. Hopefully, you will come to the conclusion that an enterprise instant messenger is the exception.