Instant Messaging: Internal servers or public services?

First, take a look at your current messaging systems with an eye on IM. If you're using Lotus Notes, SameTime is an obvious choice. Exchange Server users might consider MSN Messenger because of the support for IM built into Exchange 2000. You can create private IM servers with Exchange 2000, enabling you to set up a secure and reliable IM infrastructure for your company. Of course, you don't need to set up your own IM servers to use MSN Messenger. Instead, you can let Microsoft do the serving with its existing MSN service, although doing so requires that all participants have a .NET Passport. This option is free, but some people chafe at being forced to provide any contact information to an outside entity, and Microsoft seems to be a particularly choice target for this ire. If you decide that you can't decide on a system, you can do what an increasing number of IM user are doing: Use multiple clients. More than 33 percent of AOL users, more than 70 percent of Yahoo users, and more than 63 percent of MSN users also use another IM client. There's nothing to prevent you from signing up for several IM services and keeping them all open at one time. That certainly isn't as convenient as having all of the IM applications supporting the same standard and interoperating, but it can get you by until they do. One solution that might help you manage multiple systems is Eyeball Chat, which will let you interact with AIM, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger users. Although Eyeball Chat requires you to set up an Eyeball identity with Eyeball's servers (which is not really any different from setting up a .NET Passport with Microsoft), the program lets you see when your MSN, AIM, and Yahoo contacts are online, send and receive text messages with them, and be notified when you receive new e-mail to your MSN or Yahoo e-mail account. (AIM doesn't support the notification feature.) Naturally, you can also use Eyeball Chat to communicate with other Eyeball users. Eyeball Chat also offers excellent audio and video performance, outperforming NetMeeting by a wide margin in some performance testing I did a few months ago. Also, while you're searching for the perfect IM solution, don't forget the wireless side of IM. There is a new flurry of cell phones, PDAs, and other wireless devices hitting the market or soon to be out that support IM. Final word
If you already have Exchange 2000 or Lotus Notes in place and you primarily want to enable IM for internal employees, your best bet will be to set up an internal IM infrastructure. This is also the most secure solution. If your employees will be exchanging highly sensitive information via IM, you definitely want an internal solution. However, if you have a small company with a limited budget and your employees will not be sending highly confidential data, you can benefit from one of the publicly available IM services. Remember that with either of these two options, if you want to communicate with a number of individuals and organisations, you will probably need to get set up on several different IM services -- at least until a cross-platform standard becomes a reality.

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Talkback

I feel we should be able to have more im like I am on yahoo and would like to talk to someone on msm then they should fix it where we can do this. thank you

via Facebook 11 March, 2004 01:45

hello how are you

via Facebook 25 March, 2004 18:18

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