The MessageLabs IMSS is an instant messaging (IM) security, control and management service.

Gartner estimates penetration rates for enterprise IM adoption at 35-40 percent, with enterprises citing security as the main reason that IM is blocked internally.

IMSS gives administrators control over IM use across the business and enforces acceptable usage policies, at group or individual user levels.

MessageLabs Intelligence research highlights that threats over IM are on the rise, especially through URL links included within an instant message that lead to malicious websites.

In late 2008, one in every 200 URLs included in an instant message led to a website supporting malicious content, such as a virus, Trojan or spyware.

Today, one in every 78 URLs on IM is malicious.  To protect businesses from all threats, every instant message sent to, or originating inside, an organisation is scanned by Skeptic, MessageLabs predictive technology.

"The IMSS provides protection and control functionality to the public IM services, making them viable enterprise tools with the necessary visibility and accountability for today's regulatory needs," said Adrian Chamberlain, senior VP, SaaS Group, Symantec. 

The service provides a suite of capabilities including anti-malware, URL filtering, content control, message logging and reporting.

All instant messages are logged and can be sent to an existing archiving solution to trace all public IM communications.