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May 31, 1999

Easy Real-Time Collaboration

Lotus' Sametime lets users in different places work together efficiently

By Alan Zeichick

Related links:

Desktop Software Resource Center

And from our sister publications:

Windows Magazine Sametime Is Real-Time, Web-Based Collaboration

InternetWeek Chat And Collaboration

eographically dispersed companies are looking for technology that makes for useful, high-interaction meetings without spend- ing a lot of money on travel. Conference calls are relatively low-cost but not too interactive. Videoconferencing has more interaction, but costs more and is harder to administer. An online service's chat room or Internet Relay Chat is low-cost but offers the least interaction and has poor security. Stepping in to fill this void is Lotus Development Corp., with its Sametime collaborative messaging software.

With Sametime on a Windows NT server, business users can schedule and attend meetings in real time. They participate by typing; messages typed by other users appear on their screens. Users can also share applications--editing a word-processing document or spreadsheet, for example. At the end of a meeting, a transcript is available to anyone who chooses to save it, leading to greater accountability.

Sametime offers three primary features: locating and chatting with individuals who are logged on to the network; scheduling, finding, and attending real-time meetings; and sharing applications over a network.

Sametime is a client-server application, using Sametime Server software running under Windows NT Server. There are no license limitations to the number of clients that can access the Sametime Server.

Installing Sametime Server was tricky. While the documentation's fine print mandates removing Microsoft's Internet Information Server, many different HTTP servers caused problems. Worse, the error messages were uninformative, rendering the whole installation worthless. The recommended solution: Install Sametime onto a server dedicated to that purpose and without other HTTP server software.

Client access can be provided by Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4, Netscape's Navigator 4.06 or later, Lotus' Notes 4.6.2 or later client, or any T.120-compliant client, such as Microsoft's NetMeeting or Lotus' $20 Sametime Connect Client (for Windows 95, 98, and NT only). For this test, I used various clients and had no compatibility problems.

Sametime Server enforces security through a user directory, or it can be integrated with an existing Domino directory. If users aren't using Domino, they must log on to the Sametime Server using the Sametime Connect client to take advantage of the software's real-time messaging and chat features.

Those instant-messaging and chatting features are the best part of Sametime and add value to most networks--even those that already have a form of messaging.

Real-time messages are far more immediate than E-mail and can eliminate phoning, leaving a voice-mail message, and sending an E-mail merely for a quick question. The potential for the abuse of the instant-message software could be immense, however. Especially in a large company--where there are more interruptions and accountability is lower--constant pop-up interruptions could diminish productivity. Fortunately, users can limit their availability to instant messaging by setting up lists of authorized instant messengers, or by turning on an electronic "do not disturb" sign.