Press Release |
Press Release |
Press Release |
ORLANDO, Fla., Jan 23, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) today announced that it has joined forces with IBM to connect users of their leading instant messaging (IM) services on a global basis. Unveiled at Lotusphere(R) 2006, the premier event for collaborative enterprise software solutions, Yahoo! and IBM are furthering industry interoperability by joining the Yahoo!(R) Messenger consumer and IBM(R) Lotus(R) Sametime(R) enterprise IM communities.
The agreement brings together two industry leaders, Yahoo! Messenger, one of the world's largest consumer IM services, and Lotus Sametime, the market leader for enterprise-grade instant messaging. Sharing the commitment to provide high-quality real-time productivity tools for enterprise users, Yahoo! and IBM plan to enable customers of Lotus Sametime 7.5 to interact with Yahoo! Messenger users worldwide. In addition to exchanging text instant messages, users will be able to see their friends' online presence and manage their contact list by easily adding or deleting people. Interoperability will be based on the SIP / SIMPLE industry standard protocol, and will establish a server-to-server connection, requiring only one log-in ID to take advantage of the feature.
"Yahoo! has been a strong advocate for industry-wide interoperability and we are pleased to continue to drive it forward by working with market leaders who share our commitment to provide a seamless, safe and convenient experience for IM users," said Brad Garlinghouse, vice president, Communications Products, Yahoo! Inc. "Our users will receive high-quality interoperability, their most requested feature, while Yahoo! and IBM will benefit from increased usage and engagement of our IM services."
"As the leading provider of enterprise collaboration solutions, IBM is committed to providing innovation in real-time collaboration both through our products and through work with our partners," said Ken Bisconti, vice president Workplace, Portal and Collaboration Products, IBM. "The interoperability agreement between IBM and Yahoo! will provide real value to users of both IM platforms by further enhancing collaboration in the workplace."
About Yahoo! Inc.
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users' lives, and offers a full range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. (C) 2005 Yahoo! Inc., All rights reserved.
IBM, Lotus, Lotusphere and Sametime are trademarks of IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.
SOURCE: Yahoo! Inc.
Yahoo! Inc. Terrell Karlsten, 408-349-5528 terrellk@yahoo-inc.com or Hill & Knowlton Jessie Anderson, 212-885-0662 jessie.anderson@hillandknowlton.com
Copyright Business Wire 2006
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