New chat app lets the boss spy on you

A FIRM CALLED Process One is attempting to bring a business twist to mobile IM on the Iphone with the launch of software called One Team.

One Team will apparently let users wibble away on their Aim, MobileMe, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo and GoogleTalk chat accounts on their Iphones, all under the careful surveillance of your friendly IT department staff.

Yes, One Team's server side integration means that the lonely, friendless nerds down in IT will be able to control access to third-party IM networks, for what a Process One spinner calls “greater security and auditability”, but what most people just call “corporate spying on employees”.

Process One, which boasts 35 million registered users, reckons its product, which lets users get to their IM accounts through server side gateways on their Iphone or Ipod touch, can also work wonders in a corporate environment with a businesses’ own XMPP server.

Mickaël Rémond, CEO of Process One, said “The Iphone is fast emerging as the device of choice for many business users”, he added, however that despite the importance of allowing users to continue to use public IM clients at work, it was also important “for them to be brought under the control of the IT department so they can be managed and maintained effectively.”

This means a user’s chat history can be stored on a business’ central server, in case the boss ever wants to check up on you.

OneTeam proudly declares its service has no per-message charges as it simply uses a users’ existing data plan and also lets members access their Gmail directly too.

So if you fancy surrendering your privacy even more, One Team can be purchased and downloaded from the Apple App Store on Itunes and costs €4.99 (£3.49). µ

L'Inq
Process One