Microsoft responds to enterprise need for enhanced Mac instant messaging

You are on a conference call near the end of the day, and before you hang up you need to remind your manager to approve the file you e-mailed earlier, check on whether a colleague is in the office, and get status updates on three projects.

How can you handle these tasks efficiently and with security in mind? Enterprise communication is evolving, and Microsoft Messenger for Mac 5.0 from Microsoft Corporation`s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) delivers tools to meet the new reality of corporate collaboration.

Messenger for Mac 5.0 introduces tabbed viewing, a new approach for Mac customers who use instant messaging for work and for play. Users may simultaneously access corporate and personal messenger accounts and set a unique user status on each. The personal tab allows users to instant message (IM) with friends and family, while support for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 enables enterprise customers to IM in a security-enhanced manner via the corporate tab with colleagues inside and out the network.

"Methods of communication and collaboration in the workplace have changed drastically in the last few years - particularly with IM becoming a common means of inter-office communication," said Van Baker, vice-president and research director for Gartner.

"An enterprise solution is needed to provide a true office collaboration tool rather than the typical `buddy` IM we have seen in the past."

Messenger for Mac 5.0 takes advantage of integration with Microsoft`s enterprise IM solutions. Messenger for Mac 5.0 can be deployed with Live Communications Server 2005 to help improve collaboration for corporate Mac users by streamlining communication and allowing for enhanced messaging security. Corporate messaging sessions run through Live Communications Server 2005 are contained within the corporate firewall and server-side session logging is enabled.

Corporate customers can also deploy the Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity licence, enabling their Mac users to IM with contacts outside the network that use services from AOL, MSN and Yahoo Live Communications Server 2005 support also introduces integration with the Global Address List, allowing corporate Mac users to locate contact information and availability status more efficiently than before.

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To better serve Mac customers, Messenger for Mac 5.0 has an updated design that features a Mac OS-like brushed-metal look and feel in addition to a refined Preferences pane. Version 5.0 also includes new features that allow customers to develop their online personalities with customisable display pictures and the ability to view animated and custom emoticons.

"The latest version of Messenger for Mac is ideal for both office and personal communication," says Cindy White, Home and Entertainment Group Manager, Microsoft SA. "Our customers told us they needed a business tool to enable corporate messaging, so these requests were a primary driver in the development of the new version. Messenger for Mac 5.0 allows for greater collaboration in corporate environments and yet still presents a fun way to chat with friends and family."

Microsoft Messenger for Mac 5.0 will be available in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish beginning on 9 August 2005. Customers may download this version for free at http://www.microsoft.com/mac