Instant messaging Options Inside the Firewall

Are there any recommendations on what software to use for messaging inside our firewall? We do not want to expose any company information to the internet.

 

Thanks - I'd read the Symantic whitepaper previously - they really don't talk about any specific programs. We're not looking to configure the firewall, but rather install a simple messaging service WITHIN the company (inside the firewall), such that all messaging is just between employees and ALL information remains within the firewall.

 

messagepal.com is one option - I have not found much to recommend it or condemn it.
bigantsoft.com is another one - similar thing - I can't find any pros/cons on it...

 

I tried a messagepal and ran into numerous install problems. The install seemed to have version conflicts with some modules in our primary business software.

I ended up installing LanTalk.net. There is a free trial period, so we will continue to test ove rthe next few weeks.

 

we removed lantalk.net

Although at first it appeared to work, over the course of a week, it would gradually drop users. How it handles network latency and recovery is suspect. Strangely some of the drops were just in one direction - A could send a message to B, but B couldn't respond.

If you rebooted your PC, the problem would go away, but it's frustrating to try and ping someone over the other side of the building and the software not work.

epigeon is the next in line to be tried. They have a different approach requiring server software and client software. Some nice features - but time will tell. They offer a 120 day trial - so in that timeframe we can gain a solid appreciation of the product.