IBM told us that most Sametime customers use Lotus Notes/Domino, but Sametime provides interoperability with AOL IM, Yahoo Messenger and GoogleTalk. Not surprisingly, IBM does not support Microsoft's Live Communications Server.
For security and mobility management, you can operate Sametime Mobile over IBM's Lotus Mobile Connect mobile VPN. If you're using Lotus Mobile Connect for other mobile VPN functions, this is a good solution. Otherwise, it's a lot of infrastructure to deploy just for IM.
One highly innovative capability Sametime Mobile has that we did not find in rival products is location awareness. The client can identify its approximate location by looking at the IP address. If any other individual using that IM server has named that location, the IP address will trigger that location name automatically. This way, IM users can see where other Sametime users are. This is particularly effective if your employees operate from a finite set of locations, especially if they're on WLANs. However, it doesn't work for cellular networks where nationwide operators assign IP addresses dynamically from a pool that covers the entire country.
Microsoft's approach is similar to IBM's. Its IM client, Communicator Mobile, communicates with the company's IM server, Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005, and provides IM interoperability with MSN, AOL and Yahoo. The company told us it will deliver a new IM server this year, Office Communications Server 2007. OCS 2007 will provide a richer presence model for reflecting user availability; improved support for multiparty IM; and integration with the Exchange calendar, VoIP and on-premises Web conferencing. The company didn't elaborate on its presence plan. With a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) stack integrated into its forthcoming Windows Mobile 6, it's likely that Microsoft will also offer enhanced voice and IM integration.
Microsoft told us it's not necessary to run a VPN to secure mobile IM communications via OCS; rather, IT can enable a TLS (Transport Layer Security) option within the product. Microsoft makes its client available for Windows Mobile devices only, and pointed us to third parties for clients that support other platforms, including RIM BlackBerry and NeuStar.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
