Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity Overview
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Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity provides organisations with the capability to connect their existing base of Live Communications Server-enabled users to the top public instant messaging (IM) service providers (MSN, AOL and Yahoo!). The tools supplied in Live Communications Server 2005 Service Pack 1 (SP1), will enable corporations that wish to use public IM services to communicate with customers and Partners outside their corporate network, the ability to do so while using the enterprise-grade encryption and optional logging features offered by Live Communications Server 2005. Live Communications Server-enabled users will be able to communicate with users of these networks in real time, just as they can with their colleagues.
On This Page
 | The Public IM Dilemma |
| Public IM Connectivity Solution |
| Public IM Connectivity Availability |
| Public IM Connectivity Pricing |
| System Requirements |
The Public IM Dilemma
Today, users inside typical corporations can IM with customers and partners using one of the three main public IM clients (MSN, AOL and Yahoo!). However, using these public IM clients does not offer the encryption of data, or the capability of administrators to log and archive the transactions, which is often required to meet record retention or disclosure requirements.
Public IM clients usually do not meet most corporate security standards and often require corporate users to run multiple clients simultaneously to enable connections with multiple public IM service providers. This makes the management of desktop software difficult as well as decreases productivity by the individual user.
Many corporations choose to disable public IM connectivity either at the network edge or by locking the desktop software, either to help increase corporate security or to help reduce the number of employees that use public IM services for personal use.
Public IM Connectivity Solution
Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity enables corporate users of Live Communications Server to connect with customers and partners using MSN, AOL and Yahoo! IM services providing encrypted and optionally logged connectivity between those services and Live Communications Server internal users.
Using the new Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 client, Live Communications Server-enabled users will have a single client experience for adding contacts, sending IM and sharing presence information with users on MSN, AOL and Yahoo! networks.
With tools delivered in Live Communications Server 2005 SP1, administrators can authorise public IM connectivity on a per-user basis as well as choose the public IM service providers they wish to connect with. For example, a company might choose to connect to MSN and AOL but choose not to connect to Yahoo!. These tools enable administrators to open public IM connectivity for those corporate users that have a legitimate business need to communicate with customers and partners over one of the public IM service provider networks, thus helping to manage the number of employees using public IM services for personal use.
Public IM Connectivity Availability
Microsoft Volume Licence customers can order Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity licences for their existing Live Communications Server users. Public IM Connectivity licences are available on a per-user, per-month subscription and are additional to the Live Communications Server Client Access License (CAL).
Live Communications Server 2005 SP1 will deliver the tools necessary to enable existing Live Communications Server environment to access the public IM service providers, and the ability to enable users on a per-user basis. Live Communications Server 2005 SP1 will be freely available as a software update to existing Live Communications Server customers in the near future.
While SP1 offers the necessary tools to connect users to public IM Internet service providers, the Public IM Connectivity service is sold separately on a per-user, per-month basis. Public IM Connectivity service licences are available for Microsoft Volume License customers only and are not available for retail, open or open-value customers following other Microsoft subscription licensing programmes.
Public IM Connectivity Pricing
Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity is offered on a per-user, per-month subscription price. This service is an additional cost to the standard Live Communications Server Client Access License (CAL). The service licence price will include access to all three public IM Internet service providers. Please visit the How To Buy page for more information.
When purchasing public IM service licences, the licences are added to a customer's current Select or Enterprise agreement. Doing so will allow customers to pro-rate the months left on the agreement, adding Public IM Connectivity service licences for that specific length of time. For example, if you have 17 months left on your current agreement, you have the option to buy 17 months of Public IM Connectivity service.
System Requirements
Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity requires a fully installed and licensed version of Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1. For more details about SP1, please see the Live Communications Server SP1 page.
For detailed system requirements of both Live Communications Server SP1 and Public IM Connectivity, please see the technical documentation located at the Live Communications Server deployment centre.