Microsoft launched the first public beta of its proposed server-based collaboration software, codenamed Greenwich. The product is due for commercial release in mid-2003, Microsoft said.
Greenwich comes as vendors co-opt the low-bandwidth, rapid-delivery messaging alternative to e-mail that initially gained widespread popularity among consumers who used internet-connected PCs.
IM is now seen as a real-time communications tool, and as such Microsoft enters a growing market. IM is already available from America Online Inc and Yahoo! Inc, whose big advantage is that their offerings are free.
Microsoft hopes to lure companies away from such products, though, with the promise of business-class service, and away from systems such as Sametime from IBM Corp. Sametime allows a system administrator to control the type of corporate content that users can view and ensure only internal company users access the system. IBM and AOL, meanwhile, are working on deeper interoperability between their offerings.
Microsoft has said Greenwich fully integrates with its IT security management structure, and adds protection to unencrypted text traveling across the internet. Additionally, it supports SSL encryption, Digest and NTLM/Kerberos authentication.
Greenwich also features the ability to log IM conversations to ensure regulatory compliance.
Collaborating is enhanced with support for voice and video, ability to detect the presence of colleagues for time-sensitive communication and integration with Microsoft’s previously announced Messenger Connect for Enterprise Service from MSN. Messenger Connect provides authentication and management of business-to-consumer IM.
Source: Computerwire
