Black Swan Society

Hi all. I need help. I work for a state govt agency and have used Skype for years, mostly as private backchannel for WebEx and Elluminate, sometimes for calls, sometimes for IM when email won't be immediate enough. Not a heavy user but need/use/like it, find it reliable. Have had it for years on work computer and no one ever asked/cared. Our ITS shop moved to receipts-based model last year, and last month signed a contract to resell Adobe Connect. Suddenly now they are after my Skype because "You can use Connect for private chat during webinars" and "Connect has chat pods". Two things: They have a vested interest in selling Connect (which is cheap and we'll eventually buy anyway), and they really don't seem to get what Skype is or how to use it. I have told them I have limited number of contacts, don't talk to strangers, don't accept files, etc. The term "IM" sends them screaming anyway. Frustrating thing is that friend in a county goverment library had to go to IT and justify wanting to use anything BUT Skype! "Why do you need WebEx when Skyp does video?" Also, our University faculty, which are outside the purview of state ITS, are allowed to use Skype. If push comes to shove I can get a $200 netbook and use it from the office, but would rather move them toward accepting Skype. I need to have a productive conversation, and really, over the years they have pretty much let me have what I need. This is my first battle with them. I am thinking this receipts-based model is at the root of this. Suggestions?