IBM instant messaging to link to AIM, Yahoo, Google

Reuters - IBM, whose secure messaging system is used within many of the biggest companies, today said its customers would soon be able to chat with users of instant-messaging products from America Online Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc.
IBM said it plans by midyear to allow its Lotus Sametime corporate instant messaging system to work with the three consumer messaging systems, marking the latest move to break down barriers that have separated instant messaging audiences from one another.
Missing from the deal is Microsoft Corp., the most direct rival of IBM in the corporate instant messaging market, where customers often demand greater security and want IT managers to have the ability to audit what users say.
IBM claims that Lotus Sametime has 20 million users inside companies worldwide, including more than 25 companies with more than 100,000 users apiece. IBM said 60% of the world's 100 largest companies use Sametime.
AOL Instant Messenger, the most popular instant messaging system, has more than 40 million users in the U.S. alone, according to a Commscore Media Metrix survey.
Yahoo had roughly 20 million instant messaging users, and Microsoft had around 15 million, according to midyear 2005 data.
Google had far fewer instant messaging users, but it just introduced its IM offering midway through 2005.
If corporate messaging systems are able to work with consumer IM offerings, office workers will be able to communicate instantly with friends or family outside of work.
The ability to interconnect the separate instant messaging systems from IBM, AOL, Yahoo and Google is based on an industry standard technology known as Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP.
IBM made the announcement at Lotusphere, its annual conference on innovations in its corporate e-mail, messaging and collaboration software.
IBM also said it plans to incorporate "click-to-call" Web-based phone-calling features into Sametime through deals with Avaya Inc., Nortel Networks Ltd., Polycom Inc., Premiere Global Services Inc., Siemens AG and Tandberg ASA .