IM expected to overtake email in business communication

According to a research whitepaper by IDC, a global provider of market intelligence, Instant messaging (IM) is set to replace email as the preferred form of business communication by the second half of 2010.

Sponsored by Nortel, the world leader in delivering communications capabilities, 'The Hyperconnected: Here They Come' report is based on a global study involving 2,400 working adults in 17 countries. It focuses on quantifying how ‘connected' we are today, tracking its acceptance across devices and applications, as well as determining the rate of its growth and impact.

The IDC report said that already, "the average hyperconnected individual uses at least seven devices to access the network and nine connectivity applications". It's believed that 16 percent of the global information workforce is already ‘hyperconnected' and another 36 per cent will soon be joining them.

"The boundary between work and personal connectivity for the hyperconnected is almost nonexistent," the IDC researchers report. "Two-thirds use text or instant messaging for both work and personal use. More than a third use social networking for both."