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Secure alternatives exist. Asynchronous collaboration vendors, such as eRoom Technology, have ramped up to include real-time features, like chat, whiteboarding and application sharing, in their products, so you might be able to fill multiple collaboration needs from a single vendor. But what if you're looking for a secure, standalone IM product? We plugged in WiredRed Software's e/pop Professional Client and Enterprise Server and ran it through its paces at our Real-World Labs® at Syracuse University. We liked what we saw and heard.

First, e/pop is designed for corporate use. Administrators will appreciate being able to configure the client for use with their server only, enable and disable whichever features they want, and deliver a package to clients that can be installed with a single click already configured for corporate use. E/pop is compatible with both Microsoft's Active Directory and Novell's eDirectory.

Second, e/pop includes instant messaging, chat, voice conferencing, application sharing, status messages, out-of-the-office indicators, presence, file attachments, RSA security and helpdesk remote control, all of which can be centrally managed using an e/pop server. We were especially interested in voice conferencing. Face it: A spoken sentence is far more efficient than frantic messages typed back and forth via an IM client.

Voice conferencing works in two modes: push-to-talk or voice activated. We tested this feature over two broadband nodes connected to an Enterprise Server on a high-speed connection in the lab. Voice quality was very good. After spending a few minutes using voice conferencing, we decided we'd rather talk than type.