Issue TOC Print full article Print this page Download as PDF E-Mail this URL Discuss this article Flame the author     In this article Introduction More Than Instant E-Mail IBM Lotus Instant Messaging 3.0 WiredRed Software e/pop Professional 3.0 Sun Microsystems Sun ONE Portal Server: Instant Collaboration Pack 3.0.1 Other Products Reviewed Executive Summary | Web Links Report Card

The IM products' functional diversity impressed us. WiredRed's e/pop, IBM Lotus Instant Messaging and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service (with XP only) all provide screen sharing and remote control. IBM's and Microsoft's IM tools also offer whiteboards. The IBM product has the best screen-sharing capabilities. We were able to share an entire screen, a single window or even a rectangular region on the screen.

For moderating chat discussions, the Sun ONE Portal Server really shined, letting us control which users in a room have free discussion access and which users' posts must be screened and approved by the moderator.

IBM's, Sun's and WiredRed's products also make outstanding use of the polling and broadcast features. Polls let you quickly gather data that would overflow your e-mail box. The ability to send broadcast messages and alerts is great for administrators who need to inform users of scheduled downtimes, meeting delays, and the arrival of the company VP (or the pizza guy, for that matter).

Prices are all over the board, ranging from $0 to $200,000. The best values are Ipswitch Instant Messenger ($695), Gordano Messaging Suite ($555 for 50 users) and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service (free with Exchange 2000). After that, the prices skyrocket. Lotus Instant Messaging and e/pop cost a steep $38 to $40 per seat. Jabber XCP and Sun ONE Portal Server are more moderately priced, at $24 to $25 a seat, but if you're measuring performance for the price, Sun's product offers the best value. Sun ONE Portal Server has almost as many features as Lotus Instant Messaging and e/pop, yet costs $70,000 less for 5,000 users. If you don't need screen-sharing and whiteboard capabilities, IBM's and WiredRed's products lose their major advantages over Sun's offering. However, after using these features, we'd have to be hard-pressed to give up the whiteboard.