Peer to Peer Magazine

49 WWW.ILTANET.ORG IM will most resonate, such as road warriors and physically disparate teams. With others, offer IM as one choice within a menu of options, available when the individual is ready to use it. Educate those new to the technology on use cases and organizational policies for its use. Using a cloud-based version of IM is a fast and cost-effective way to deploy a pilot for determining the viability of an IM platform in your organization. Once you are ready to move fully into IM, an ROI and security analysis can be undertaken to see whether the cloud or an on-premises solution is best for your firm. ILTA's 2015 Technology Survey shows 45 percent of firms have implemented some form of IM (enterprise social networking tools). With nearly half of all firms already utilizing the tool, the question is not whether you should deploy IM in your environment but when to deploy it. The key is to ensure it is done in a secure manner with the greatest awareness of the features and functionality so it can be used effectively and appropriately. P2P The positive of having real-time presence can also be a negative if the recipient is continually interrupted or not prepared to participate in the discussion. The quick responses that are the beauty of IM can also lead to responses that are not well-thought-out. Misunderstandings can occur when participants cannot use body language to support the tone of the conversation. While emoticons have evolved to help with this, sometimes IM's informal style is not appropriate for the audience. While these concerns must be considered, many of the issues will abate with greater adoption and awareness of when to use IM over other mediums. Like any new technology, effective change management is key in managing expectations and ensuring a successful implementation. Getting to Work When building a business case for adopting IM in your organization, remember that it is not for everyone. Identify and focus on the demographics with which Instant Messaging for Your Firm FEATURES DEAN LEUNG Dean Leung is the Chief Information Officer at Holland & Knight LLP. He has 20 years of IT experience in international law firms and is serving as one of ILTA's Knowledge Advisors. Dean is an industry thought leader on the topics of mobility, virtualization, business continuity and voice/data communications. He holds several IT designations, including Microsoft's MCSE, and a degree in electrical engineering. Contact Dean at dean.leung@hklaw. com. Offer IM as one choice within a menu of options, available when the individual is ready to use it.

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