* In XMPP vs. SIP/SIMPLE, Antepo chooses both
The two leading standards in the instant messaging world are Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, and Session Initiation Protocol and SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions. While there is some debate about which standard will eventually win – or even if there needs to be a winner – Antepo has taken an agnostic view toward these two standards: its new OPN System 4.5 supports both.
OPN System is an enterprise-oriented IM system that provides business-grade features, including namespace management, end-to-end and server-to-server encryption and logging/auditing capabilities – the three features that differentiate enterprise IM from consumer IM.
The new version supports Windows and Linux, as well other versions of Unix. It supports regulatory compliance efforts, allowing IM content to be stored in enterprise archiving systems. And OPN System 4.5 can be integrated with Microsoft Outlook to merge e-mail and IM capabilities. The system also supports Microsoft Active Directory.
Antepo is positioning OPN System 4.5 as a sort of connector between the Jabber (XMPP) and Microsoft Live Communication Server (SIP/SIMPLE) environments, while providing features that the company claims are better than both. For example, Antepo claims to provide better security and scalability than Jabber, while at the same time offering a lower cost of ownership and extensibility beyond the Microsoft ecosystem.
One of the fundamental goals of Antepo is to become a leading provider of presence middleware, thereby allowing a wide variety of third parties to integrate presence into a variety of applications. For example, Antepo offers an API that allows presence information to be integrated into Web sites, portals and the like.
The new version of OPN System raises the larger issue of integrating presence into a variety of business applications, both for internal and external applications. For example, integrating presence into something as simple as your e-mail signature (which PresenceWorks offers) provides an extra level of interaction and makes people that much more available. Organizations that are looking to improve communication and decision support should look seriously at the role that presence could play.
