At the Instant Messaging Planet Conference and Expo here, the Waltham, Mass.-based company said security software partners Sybari Software, Clearswift, Asynchrony Solutions and Cypherguard are integrating antivirus, antispam and encryption solutions with IMLogic's IM Manager to enhance security capabilities across leading instant messaging networks from Microsoft, IBM, Yahoo and Jabber.

Last September, IMLogic unveiled its namesake IM enterprise IM management platform, which offers control, security, reporting, archiving and compliance requirements for instant messaging networks including MSN Messenger, Yahoo Enterprise IM Network, Lotus SameTime and Jabber.

While the bulk of instant messaging activity remains on consumer networks such as AOL and MSN, Microsoft, AOL, Lotus and Yahoo are pushing harder to drive corporate, enterprise-oriented instant messaging services.

Last November, for instance, AOL unveiled its Enterprise AIM Services while Microsoft launched a business-oriented instant messaging service dubbed MSN Messenger Connect for Enterprises. Yahoo Messenger Enterprise Edition will be launched this quarter.

MSN Messenger Connect for Enterprises, due this quarter, will give corporations licensed access to the MSN Messenger Service. The Microsoft corporate platform uses management and auditing instant messaging technology from IMLogic and FaceTime Communications.

The software giant, has also pushed more corporate adoption by integrating Windows Messenger into Windows XP and developing a realtime communications server add-on for the forthcoming Windows Server 2003, code-named Greenwich. The RTC platform, now in beta testing, will offer instant messaging, videoconferencing and online collaboration applications for the Windows server environment.

Microsoft and AOL will compete with Lotus' more mature SameTime 3.0 realtime collaboration and instant messaging platform for businesses as well as Yahoo Messenger Enterprise Edition.

According to research firm IDC, about 65 million corporate works use instant messaging services today. IDC predicts that number will balloon to more than 255 million by 2005.

Microsoft and others expects more corporate adoption of instant messaging as security and management issues are addressed.

The IMLogic partnership, for example, is aimed at giving security software ISVs the framework, technology and credentials for extending their solutions for enterprise instant messaging deployments, IMLogic executives said.