The first step the company will take is to create a Live Communications Server client for Windows Mobile devices. The client will enable users of Windows Mobile devices such as PDAs and smartphones to collaborate with other users via a variety of methods, according to the company. Those methods include instant messaging, e-mail and short messaging service (SMS), as well as video conferencing and Web conferencing.
"Information workers spend a lot of time away from their desks for meetings, travel, customer visits and other demands, and having mobile access to enterprise-grade real-time communications can help them work smarter and more efficiently," Gurdeep Pall, vice president of Microsoft's Real-Time Collaboration Group, said in a statement.
The company said a beta of the Windows Mobile client will be available in the second half of this year.
Separately, Microsoft and Research In Motion said they would collaborate so that BlackBerry users connected to Live Communications Server will have access to enterprise-class instant messaging. Specifically, RIM is developing a client for BlackBerry devices that will work with Live Communications Server. The company said the client will go into beta this September and expects to have it widely available later this year.