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If you’d like to save money on your office phone bill by switching to Skype, but worry that using the low-cost long-distance service may become a distraction for your employees, or will make your network vulnerable to security threats, a new technology may assuage your fears.

FaceTime Communications, a Foster City, Calif.-based software-security firm, has partnered with Skype in the release of a new VoIP security tool for business.

FaceTime Internet Security Edition allows network administrators choose the elements of Skype software their employees can use. IT managers can customize which components — such as file transfer, voice calling, video calling, voicemail, and voice recording — are available to individuals or groups of employees.

FaceTime’s tool provides gateway security to stop inbound malware threats as well as outbound information leaks. The tool enables network administrators to enforce policies regarding the specific traffic that is permitted to cross the network.

In addition, FaceTime Internet Security Edition provides a real-time bandwidth-usage indicator, which allows network administrators to determine Skype’s impact on network traffic and detect employees attempting to circumvent company policies.

inc.com