Viber Wants to Catch Up With Skype Since Microsoft acquired Skype a few years ago, the company has been quietly making it more appealing to enterprise customers. Skype is integrated into Windows quite nicely, its security has been improved, and it's a useful tool for video conferencing. Viber is trying to hit on those features for its own service, but whether the corporate world should care is another story.
There's No Enterprise Focus Viber is a rather odd company. The firm currently provides its service on BlackBerry and has extended Viber Out to Windows Phone in a bid to attract more corporate customers. Yet, there appears to be no solid enterprise focus. Viber has yet to make a real sales pitch to the enterprise. Until it does, the corporate world should keep in mind that Viber doesn't quite understand the enterprise's needs and desires.
Viber Sustained a Major Security Breach Viber had some egg on its face in 2013 when it was hit with a phishing scam launched by the Syrian Electronic Army. The scam allowed the hackers to access the Viber support page, and reports suggested the service's database was also cracked. Although Viber says nothing was stolen, the security issue should be a warning sign to enterprise users who want only the most secure services running on their networks.
BYOD Could Bring It Into Enterprises Despite the general lack of enterprise understanding at Viber, there's a real chance that the IT side will need to deal with the service. With the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement gaining momentum, consumers are bringing their own devices into the office and putting them on corporate networks. While BYOD has its virtues, it's also a major headache for IT professionals, and it forces them to deal with services they might not otherwise care about. Viber is one of those platforms.
It's Not Always Free Although Viber and Skype like to promote their services as free offerings, the truth is that they're not entirely free. Viber Out requires users to buy credits that are applied to calls made to landlines across the world. There's also a top-off feature that replenishes funds once they hit a certain amount. So, while Viber-to-Viber communication is free, be aware that Viber Out will cost some cash.
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