According to Microsoft, Office Live Communications Server 2005 provides scalable, enterprise-wide instant messaging (IM) and "presence awareness" tools for real-time collaboration among an organization's employees, trusted partners, customers, and suppliers. Microsoft defines presence awareness as the ability to detect another users availability on one or more devices.

The client side, Office Communicator 2005, is described as an enterprise messenger that integrates communications capabilities (including instant messaging, presence awareness, PC-based voice and video, VoIP, and enterprise telephony) with productivity and other communications applications. It works with existing applications across multiple modes of real-time communication.

According to the Microsoft, the new Windows Mobile client is based on the user interface of Office Communicator 2005 and has the same look and feel. The goal is to give information workers secure access to presence and unified modes of communication -- email, phone, instant messaging (IM), short message service (SMS), videoconferencing, and webconferencing -- across a variety of form-factors (e.g. desktop-PC, desk-phone, mobile-device) and both wired and wireless networks.

Microsoft also notes that the Windows Mobile client is a prime example of the kind of mobile solutions that developers can build to run with Live Communications Server 2005. The Windows Mobile client will provide a new API that lets mobile developers use the communications capabilities of Live Communications Server in their own applications.

"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," said Gurdeep Pall, corporate vice president for the Real-Time Collaboration Group at Microsoft. "Through the new Windows Mobile client and innovative mobile solutions from a vibrant ecosystem of developer partners, we'll offer mobile users an integrated communications and presence-sharing experience, all within a security-enhanced, trusted environment."