Microsoft beta tests integrated IM, telephony and video client

By Steve Malone

Posted on 20 Oct 2004 at 09:42

The Microsoft integrated communications client codenamed 'Istanbul' has entered private beta testing, said Anoop Gupta, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Real-Time Collaboration Business Unit. The product is intended to bring together the various strands of office communication such as instant messaging, telephony and video into a single product. In turn, the single integrated system will provide added features and functions to Microsoft Office.

The client software will provide the front end to the next version of Live Communications Server 2005 (codenamed Greenwich V2) which is currently in beta and is due sometime next year. When it arrives, LCS promises to add extra levels of security to instant messaging, the ability to schedule multiple audio and video feeds, data collaboration, as well as extended features for mobile devices. For many companies, security is the most important feature. Although IM is widespread in many offices, IT departments have held back from officially deploying the technology as in many cases the clients merely send plain text around the network with little in the way of safeguards.

Microsoft says that LCS and 'Istanbul' will also be able to integrate with existing PABX systems which could prove a boon over the coming years as companies transition towards VoIP telephony services.

According to sources, the product, when it is released will provide users with the familiar messenger interface and will interoperate with AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and the company's own MSN Messenger.