Is Skype Safe?

Recent surveys show that as much as 12% of all business long distance calls are made on Skype. VOIP applications such as Skype are an obvious way for companies to cut their phone bills. But there is always the question - does Skype present new security and control issues. According to this article in CIO Mag, there are not really very many new issues. Most of the exposures that do exist with Skype exist with any phone/IM system, and simply need to be recognized and addressed in the company's governance procedures. The author makes special mention of the need for encryption of VOIP transmissions, which is a good idea regardless of whether Skype or some other product is being used.