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A New Corporate IM Service Is Launched By AOL

AOL launches a free new AIM Pro instant-messaging service, which includes online meeting functions meant for business users. The service is joined together with Microsoft Outlook`s calendar and corporate directory and offers a quick access to WebEx voice and video conferencing and teamwork services. On a later stage the one-to-one video conferencing will be extended to a four-way conferencing.

AIM Pro provides business-grade security and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption and automatic antivirus file scanning and gives its users the option of using their professional e-mail addresses as their AIM screen names. With the new AIM Pro people will be able to use a quick people search and listen to news broadcasts from CNN and other news companies. In addition, users can quickly access the Wall Street Journal finance, technology and business stories and stock quotes and market data from AOL Finance.

Michael Osterman, founder of Osterman Research, said that instant messaging, which is used in more than 90 percent of North America`s offices, "has created a lot of headaches for IT managers, because it is consumer software" that does not have the management and security features corporations need. "AOL and WebEx have gone a long way toward solving the problems of instant messaging in the enterprise."