IM, Integrated Collaboration Environments Growing

Use of collaboration tools continues to grow at a dramatic rate, according to a recent report from IDC (a sister company to CIO’s publisher, CXO Media).

IDC reports that sales in the collaboration market, including instant messaging, integrated collaboration environments and other products, will total more than $4 billion by the end of 2001. And the fastest-growing segment?instant messaging?will encompass 150 million users by 2004. Between 2000 and 2005, the report says, the segment’s compound annual growth rate will be 104 percent.

The report also notes that messaging applications such as e-mail, instant messaging and unified messaging?with their real-time and mobile capabilities?are beginning to overtake more traditional integrated collaboration environments as the tools of choice for business.

The report, “Collaborative Applications Forecast and Analysis Summary, 2001-2005,” provides an overview of the entire collaboration application market as well as revenue forecasts by market and operating environment plus market trends and data about relevant vendors.

For more information, visit www.idc.com.