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Analysis: Mobile Instant Messaging: Page 4 of 12

The most common architecture for delivering mobile IM, used by most cellular operators today, implements a client on the handset that communicates with a gateway hosted in the operator network. This gateway operates as a proxy to Internet services such as AOL IM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger and Google Talk. IM service providers supply these gateways, and communications between client and gateway is based on a standard from the Open Mobile Alliance called IMPS. The Instant Messaging and Presence Service employs protocols optimized for wireless networks. This approach lets mobile users connect to the IM service, see which of their "buddies" are available, and send and receive IMs.

For consumers, this is peachy. For enterprises, there are serious limitations.

As with running consumer IM on desktops, IT needs methods to secure and manage communications that may be considered business records. Unfortunately, this requires a separate IM governance infrastructure that can't work with public IM services. Because mobile IM traffic goes to the operator gateway, then directly to the service provider, there's no way to route it to your enterprise IM gateway.

Another complication for companies looking to use consumer-grade mobile IM for business is that consumer IM clients typically are installed on consumer-oriented handsets, while clients for smartphones are hard to come by. AOL, for example, doesn't provide IM clients for Treos or Windows Mobile phones.

The third method is the only choice for companies with tight security and compliance requirements. Enterprise IM systems from the likes of IBM Lotus or Microsoft provide clients for all major smartphone platforms, and their mobile clients communicate directly with IM servers located on your network. Security capabilities are robust. For the IBM Lotus Sametime Mobile client, you can depend on the client's session encryption, or use it in combination with IBM's Lotus Mobile Connect software that provides general-purpose VPN capabilities.