Why Skype means business

Equally vilified and praised, Skype has divided opinion like no other application. Nigel Hawthorn explains exactly what it has to offer

Calls from analyst group Info-Tech Research for organisations to place a blanket ban on Skype have ensured that the technology has enjoyed continued prominence in the headlines. One issue that remains to be explored is what this controversial application means for resellers and the channel. How can firms be suitably equipped to handle the challenges?

So far it has been a question of ‘all or nothing’ for enterprises pondering the Skype question. But recently the situation has changed, and it is important that the reseller community is made aware of this.

Skype’s benefits are clear to any cost-conscious company requiring a large volume or intake of worldwide calls. However, the drawbacks are similar to those presented by Instant Messaging technologies. The difficulties of managing Skype are quite real, not based solely around the scare tactics that are employed so frequently in this industry.

With Skype there is no central log of calls. The file transfer is peer-to-peer and therefore does not go through the business’s email service for virus-scanning, logging and content control. This means that viruses and spyware can enter the company network, and confidential information can leave the organisation.

However, as time bears on and more firms deploy Skype, perceptions will change and the advantages of putting appropriate controls in place will become clearly evident.

What is already clear, is that management needs to establish whether the benefits overcome the drawbacks and then work to set appropriate policies within the company. If the decision is made to block Skype, then firewalls need to work in conjunction with proxies to provide a block. Firewalls alone are unable to provide a complete block. It may be decided that specific groups of users are allowed access and the technology is now available to provide this level of control. In this case, resellers and VARs can be a shining light in educating IT managers on how to control staff usage of Skype more closely. It is no longer a question of ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but ‘who’ and ‘how’.

Skype is an exciting business tool that will transform the way we work. It may have its disadvantages, but these can be handled decisively and without fear.

Nigel Hawthorn is vice-president of international channels at Blue Coat.