AIM PBE (Pro Business Edition)

[Jeff]

This past July, AOL released AIM Pro, an IM client targeted at business users. AIM Pro is free, eliminates the advertisements, and adds integration with WebEx for screen-sharing and other collaboration features.

Now AOL has kicked it up a notch, releasing AIM PBE (Pro Business Edition). This new version is no longer free, presumably to get by those corporate IT departments who believe that "you get what you pay for." Corporations looking to adopt AIM PBE can expect to pay $5 per user.

What will they get for their money? More control. AIM PBE promises 128-bit encryption, better SpIM filtering, enhanced security and regulatory compliance.

Of course, it's also compatible with the regular AIM client, too. Ted Samson at InfoWorld has taken AIM PBE for a test drive, and posts found some interesting new options in the file transfer capabilities.

Personally, I don't see this going far. AIM has no foothold in the corporate door, and faces stiff competition from both Microsoft and IBM, the corporate mainstays. True, it's cheap. Yes, it lets you chat with millions of AIM users. I just don't see a compelling business case to jump on board.

Most corporations either use Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes for their email. If you use Exchange, you're more likely to integrate Microsoft's Live Communications Server; if Lotus Notes, IBM Lotus Sametime. That's the reality, and it's part of the reason AOL's last attempt at an enterprise IM tool failed.

Good luck, guys.