Collaborate instantly with social communications using integrated voice, data, video
IBM® Sametime® is a social communications offering that is the evolution of unified communications (UC). It provides integrated voice, data and video for real-time collaboration with people inside and outside your business without travel costs. IBM Sametime can be integrated with applications you use daily for direct access to enterprise instant messaging, online meetings, telephony and video conferencing—from where you are working.
IBM Sametime supports social communications with features that include:
- Enterprise instant messaging, online presence indicators and community collaboration allow you to find experts and collaborate quickly.
- Online meetings offer high-definition audio and video and document, application and screen sharing.
- Mobile device support keeps you connected to the office with full communications capabilities.
- Voice and video integration supports industry standards and provides features that help IT administrators deploy voice and video within their network.
- A simple user experience and flexible platform help you extend your UC environment and integrate social communications into your processes and applications.
Enterprise instant messaging, online presence indicators and community collaboration
- Show the online availability and location of colleagues using status icons, indicating whether someone is in a meeting, offline or available for real-time social communications.
- Let you find experts—even those you haven't met yet—quickly using a contact list that shows recent and frequent contact views; a searchable corporate directory; offline messaging; and broadcast community channels and communications that let you find people with desired skills even when they are not in your contact list.
- Allow you to click and switch communication methods as your conversation evolves to include multiway voice calls, video conversations, group chats, online meetings or instant polls.
- Manage online message history using time and date stamps, people and date searches and a log of sent files and links.
- Provide federation with other online communications systems for real-time collaboration with colleagues who do not use IBM Sametime.
Online meetings
- Allow sharing of files, applications and screens with people inside or outside the company using security-rich features, including audio and video.
- Enhance social communications with audio- and video-conferencing features that allow you to see colleagues and their reactions without the time and expense of travel.
- Provide access to online meetings from your desktop, laptop, Apple iPad or Google Android-based tablet.
- Find and join meetings quickly by displaying a consolidated view of your scheduled meetings; using the meetings panel to gain instant access to meeting rooms; and extending and accepting invitations with a single click.
Mobile device support
- Enables real-time social communications and collaboration from locations supported by your mobile network, giving you the freedom to work from different places and stay connected.
- Provides online presence indicators and enterprise instant messaging on Apple, Google Android, Research In Motion BlackBerry, Nokia Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile handheld devices.
- Displays online presence indicators including online availability, geographic location and custom status messages.
- Offers instant messaging for one-on-one conversations and group messaging and allows you to manage multiple active online messages on a small screen.
- Lets you participate in IBM Sametime online meetings from your Apple iPad, Android tablet or a BlackBerry smartphone.
Voice and video integration
- Contains a dual audio and video interface that works with built-in IBM Sametime or third-party media software to deliver audio and video in online meetings and conferences.
- Supports industry-standard codecs, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for high-quality, built-in voice and video service and integration with a variety of audio and video systems.
- Includes Sametime Bandwidth Manager to maintain quality service for rich media collaboration while protecting network bandwidth for mission-critical applications.
- Provides Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal, supporting Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE), Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN) and Traversal Using Relay NAT (TURN) standards to let audio and video pass through firewalls.
- Works with your telephony systems through third-party plug-ins, IBM Sametime Unified Telephony or IBM Sametime Unified Telephony Lite Client.
A simple user experience and flexible platform
- Deliver a unified user experience for a broad range of social communications capabilities.
- Provide built-in integration with IBM WebSphere® Portal, IBM Lotus Notes®, IBM Lotus® Quickr®, IBM Connections, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft SharePoint. Also enable integration with third-party business applications.
- Interface with existing data and telephony networks using standards-based tools and middleware so you can use your existing infrastructure.
- Work with multiple operating systems, email platforms and audio and video conferencing systems to provide support to a variety of users.
- Provide a software development kit and open standards-based tools to embed IBM Sametime communication capabilities in business applications for communications-enabled processes.
IBM Sametime resources
- White paper: The power of unifying communications and collaboration
Learn about IBM Unified Communications and Collaboration solutions. Find out how IBM Sametime software can improve your organization’s productivity with a single, interface.
- Ebook: IBM Sametime reviewer’s guide
See how a unified communications system can help workers collaborate instantly to solve problems.
Buy IBM Sametime
Collaborate instantly with social communications using integrated voice, data, video
IBM Software Subscription and Support is included in the product price for the first year.
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New features and benefits for business users, IT managers and ISVs
IBM® Sametime® V8.5 represents the next generation of real-time social communications software. Designed to make your business even more social, IBM Sametime V8.5.2 delivers integrated voice, data and video services—as well as those from hundreds of IBM Business Partners—through a unified user experience. Buy or upgrade today and take advantage of valuable new benefits:
- Business users will find it easier to make faster, expertise-based decisions and engage with customers.
- Developers and IBM Business Partners will find it easier to integrate with their environment and offerings.
- Telephony managers can provide high-quality, cost-effective voice and video services while reducing corporate telephony and travel costs by increasing the synergy between IT and telephony infrastructures.
- IT managers and administrators can better manage their infrastructure.
IBM Sametime V8.5.x provides:
- Effective online meetings so you never have to lose the first ten minutes of a meeting sharing information about how to join the meeting and who is in the meeting. The IBM Sametime V8.5 online meeting experience is integrated into the IBM Sametime client or accessed from a browser.
- Simplified voice and video designed to take the guesswork out of multimedia collaboration.
- More effective enterprise instant messaging with powerful new features for better, more flexible collaboration.
- More mobile options to give you real-time social communications from virtually anywhere you are working.
- An enhanced platform that makes IBM Sametime easier than ever to extend and manage.
More
Effective online meetings
- The meetings panel makes it simple for you to find and join meetings from your IBM Sametime client, which displays a consolidated view of your scheduled meetings and provides instant access to meeting rooms. You can instantly create rooms for a single meeting, and keep and reuse them—without making a reservation.
- Simple meeting invitations allow you to invite people by dragging and dropping from the contact list. Accept meetings with a single click, just like joining a group chat. You get a photo and list view of attendees. IBM Sametime V8.5.2 Interim Feature Release 1 (IFR 1) adds an active speaker indicator so you know who is speaking.
- Native, high-quality audio and video capabilities allow you to see colleagues and their reactions, without the time and expense of travel. IBM Sametime V8.5.2 extends audio and video tools to web browser-based online meetings.
- You can share files, applications and screens with people inside or outside of your company using security-rich features including audio and video. The meeting library allows you to upload meeting materials with a simple drag and drop. You can record and playback the meeting to preserve application sharing and discussion.
- You can access online meetings from your desktop, laptop, Apple iPad or Google or Android-based tablet. A zero-download client makes it simple to access, join and participate in online meetings. With IBM Sametime V8.5.2, you can use the audio and video options; slide navigation and presenter annotation tools; and the updated polling feature available to rich-client meeting rooms. IBM Sametime V8.5.2 IFR 1 adds browser-based participation in IBM Sametime online meetings from an Apple iPad or Android tablet.
Simplified voice and video
- A dual audio/video interface delivers both built-in and third-party media capabilities in voice and video chats or in IBM Sametime online meetings. You can choose your preferred conferencing system from within a meeting. Industry-standard audio and video codecs provide high-quality built-in voice and video services for a compelling collaborative experience. Telephony status and functionality vary with the telephony integration option you choose. For more information on telephony integration, visit www.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/sametime/telephony.html
- Conferencing is easily integrated with existing systems, applications and hardware. Now you can leverage more of your company's existing infrastructure by simultaneously integrating two audio/video conferencing systems with the IBM Sametime media manager.
- The IBM Sametime Bandwidth Manager enables multimedia communications while protecting your network for use by critical applications and classes of users. Audio and video bandwidth limits can be allocated by the administrator and real-time network conditions.
- Audio/video based on the industry standard Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) improves interoperability with third-party audio/video conferencing systems. IBM Sametime V8.5.2 IFR 1 provides Native Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) security support for multi-person video chats and meetings.
- IBM Sametime V8.5.2 provides improved Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal. It supports ICE/STUN/TURN standards to allow audio and video to pass through firewalls and properly navigate NAT environments. Now people can easily engage in rich communications with customers, partners and other external parties in their professional networks.
More effective enterprise instant messaging
- New features include configurable chat contact lists, corporate directory search, business card with contact details, chat history with time and data stamps, rich text formatting, emoticons and emoticon palettes.
- File transfer and annotated screen capture features allow you to quickly share information and images. With Sametime V8.5.2 IFR 1, you can also transfer a folder to a contact or send a file in a group chat window to several people at once. Offline messages enable you to communicate even when you are offline or a chat participant is offline.
- You can share an application or an entire screen with chat participants in real-time. You can also view files and links sent by individuals in a separate tab. Browser-based chat client option lets you use a zero-download client to support thin client strategies. IBM Sametime V8.5.2 new text recognition features allow you to click on a name in any IBM Sametime chat or chat history to initiate an instant message. You can also click on any phone number to initiate a call through IBM Sametime Unified Telephony software or a third-party telephony adapter.
- Integrated high-quality audio and video can help reduce telephony expenses and enhance the collaborative experience. Built-in integration with a range of email and productivity applications delivers the real-time collaboration tools you need from the applications you use every day.
- Support for My Widgets in IBM Sametime V8.5.2 software lets you connect to widget repositories, drag and drop widgets into your IBM Sametime Connect client and manage your widgets.
More mobile options
- IBM Sametime V8.5 supports online presence indicators and enterprise instant messaging on Apple iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Nokia Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile handheld devices
- Additional enhancements include business cards with contact information, instant messaging, an intuitive user interface that manages multiple chat sessions on small screens and chat history.
- IBM Sametime V8.5.2 mobile meetings provide browser and app options. Use browser-based meetings on your Apple iPad or Android tablet to join IBM Sametime meeting rooms directly from URLs in the calendar or messaging application; create new meeting rooms or search for meeting rooms by room or owner name; and control a presentation as well as use annotation and zoom tools. Or participate in IBM Sametime online meetings from your Apple iPad, Android-based tablet or BlackBerry smartphone.
- A Sametime V8.5.2 instant messaging client and Sametime Unified Telephony dialer for Apple iOS and Google Android devices include presence and instant messaging with background notifications; text to speech; and the ability to place calls and control call routing preferences and device selection on demand.
An enhanced platform
- New Representational Sate Transfer (REST)-based web 2.0 APIs allow developers to use standard AJAX tools to embed a full range of IBM Sametime capabilities into web applications and portals.
- A new customizable, zero-download browser-based chat client makes it easier to integrate the IBM Sametime chat experience into your websites.
- The new system console makes it easier to manage and administer IBM Sametime. It facilitates deployment planning and installation of IBM Sametime servers and provides central policy management of all IBM Sametime services. You can configure, setup and test LADP from a single location.
- IBM Sametime V8.5.2 software adds support for Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 and Novell SLES 11 servers.
- IBM Sametime V8.5.2 IFR 1 software adds new security-rich features for video including Native Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) security support for multiperson video chats and meetings.
Upgrade to the latest version of IBM Sametime.
Use your IBM Software Subscription and Support benefits to upgrade to the latest IBM Sametime release today.
Learn more about IBM Software Subscription and Support benefits.
IBM Sametime V8.5 software is also available as part of the IBM Connections Suite, which delivers IBM social software, real-time social communications and robust document management capabilities in a single offering. The IBM Connections Suite provides organizations a more integrated and social approach to how they communicate, innovate and make decisions.
Why IBM Sametime?
See the top reasons to try IBM® Sametime®.
Enterprise Instant Messaging
Chat and share files.
Mobile
Collaborate on the go.
Online Meetings
Work together on documents.
Telephony
Make your computer your phone.
Voice and Video
Use our high-quality voice and video or yours.
Rich Presence Awareness
Know who can help right now and how to best reach them.
Community Collaboration
Find experts you have not met yet.
Platform
Integrate communications into your processes and apps.
Ready to buy?
IBM Sametime software is available in multiple versions to support the needs of your enterprise—from the small office to the multinational conglomerate. Compare features in IBM Sametime—Entry, Standard, Advanced and then see these purchase options:
- Buy IBM Connections Suite with IBM Sametime, IBM Connections and more in one simple-to-buy bundle.
IBM Sametime Resources
The IBM Sametime Blog
Learn what’s coming, discover tips and tricks, read about the latest news and trends and get an inside view of the IBM® Sametime® product team. Join the conversation today.
New to IBM Sametime?
- IBM Greenhouse: IBM Sametime
Test drive IBM Sametime on IBM Greenhouse.
- Business Value Builder tool: Find IBM communications solutions that fit your business needs
This simple-to-use tool walks you through a series of questions about your organization’s key business challenges and provides a set of recommendations based on your needs.
- Brochure: IBM Sametime for Microsoft users (1.6MB)
With IBM Sametime, Microsoft users can connect, converse and collaborate more conveniently.
- Demo: Real-time communications in action in many industry scenarios
See how your organization can improve customer relationships, create streamlined and flexible collaboration environments and resolve business challenges.
- Demo: IBM Sametime Integrates with Microsoft
See how IBM Sametime works with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft SharePoint software.
- Demo: Financial Services Industry: IBM Sametime Unified Telephony software
See how a leading financial services organization uses IBM Sametime to speed response times, make better decisions and improve productivity.
- Demo: Electronics Industry: Secure, instant communications inside and outside of your business
See how integrated, real-time communications services for voice, data and video can improve collaboration and reduce the costs of travel, telephony and audio and video web conferencing services.
- Video: IBM Sametime for IBM Notes users
Learn why IBM Notes users should consider using IBM Sametime as their enterprise instant messaging, web conferencing and unified communications and collaboration software.
Product resources
- Webpage: IBM Sametime Application Integration
Discover how IBM Sametime can extend your current application investments in IBM Notes® and Domino®, IBM social networking software, IBM WebSphere® Portal, Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft SharePoint.
- Ebook: IBM Sametime V8.5 Reviewer’s Guide
This ebook can help you evaluate how IBM Sametime can activate your professional networks and help your company become a more social business.
- Blog: The IBM Sametime Blog
Learn what’s coming, discover tips and tricks, read about the latest news and trends and get an inside view of the IBM Sametime product team. Join the conversation today.
Learning resources for users
- Wiki: IBM Sametime Learning Center
Learn how to use and administer IBM Sametime. This wiki offers articles, videos, reference cards and training courses.
- Multimedia library: IBM Sametime just-in-time training and support
Get an instant training solution right on your desktop. In a matter of minutes, learn how to add contacts and groups, share instant meetings, send files and more.
Technical Resources
- Product documentation: IBM Sametime information center
Find information about installing, administering and using IBM Sametime.
- System requirements: IBM Sametime
Get detailed system requirements for the supported releases of IBM Sametime and IBM Sametime Unified Telephony.
- Wiki: IBM Sametime
Get product documentation, community articles, training videos and IBM Redbooks® publications.
- Blog: The IBM Sametime Blog
Learn what’s coming, discover tips and tricks, read about the latest news and trends and get an inside view of the IBM Sametime product team. Join the conversation and make the most of your investment in IBM Sametime.
- developerWorks: IBM Sametime articles
Read technical articles to help you deploy, integrate, troubleshoot, provision and more.
- developerWorks: IBM Software Services
Learn about this global IBM Services organization that can help you accelerate your success with IBM Sametime.
- IBM PartnerWorld: Program, Products, Solutions and Services
IBM PartnerWorld members can access IBM Sametime software at no charge.
Considering a purchase?
Contact IBM
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