IBM's Sametime enterprise IM to gain telephony links

IDG News Service - IBM plans to launch in the second half of this year an application programming interface for linking the Lotus Sametime enterprise instant messaging product to voice-over-IP platforms, mobile phones and traditional office telephony systems.

The API is currently being used by a small number of partners that are working on early voice applications for Sametime, and IBM expects to make the API generally available to developers in the third or fourth quarter this year, said Ken Bisconti, vice president of IBM Workplace products.

"At this point, it has mostly been used in development of applications that haven't yet shipped to market," Bisconti said. "I expect that later this year, you will see voice-enabled applications running on Sametime."

The API is designed to be used by independent software vendors; by providers of telephony equipment and services, such as network equipment vendors, wireless carriers and telecom service providers; and by corporate developers within IT departments of Sametime clients.

Although there hasn't been wide-scale integration of instant messaging platforms and telephony networks yet, it is a developing trend and IBM is responding to it, he said. "We're definitely moving in that direction and believe it is a very natural convergence that will be seen in the industry. The biggest question is how rapidly it will be adopted," Bisconti said.

When telephony is integrated with instant messaging, users get a more complete picture of someone's availability because the system can indicate whether that person is on the phone. Instant messaging systems can also typically be configured to allow users to generate calls to others on their instant messaging contact lists from the instant messaging interface.

In the case of Sametime, it's a welcome sign to see IBM attempting to make it easy for external developers and partners to extend the platform, an analyst said.

"One thing that makes this [IBM move] significant is that Sametime is not an easy platform for third parties to link with," said Andrew W. Davis, a managing partner at market analysis firm Wainhouse Research in Duxbury, Mass. "So the development and publication of an API kit would be a significant advance for IBM and for a variety of potential third-party partners."


Demand from corporate clients for integrating their instant messaging systems with their telephony infrastructure has been overstated, but it is increasing, so IBM does well to focus on this area, Davis said. "Demand is somewhat overhyped by the vendors and the press. Until now, there has been much more excitement about the technology and its potential to change