Reuters is to offer online connectivity between its instant messaging service and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) users.
The news and information group says that an upcoming version of the Reuters Messaging client will allow users to directly access and communicate with colleagues and customers that use the AOL, AIM and ICQ services. In addition, AOL instant messaging users will have the ability to add Reuters Messaging users to their AOL Buddy List feature.
The AIM network is the largest of its kind in the world, delivering 1.5 billion messages daily.
David Gurle, EVP and global head of collaboration services, Reuters, says: "Our goal has been to expand the reach of our end users and enable them to integrate IM and presence within the workflow of financial communities. Our partnership with AOL is a key step in this direction."
Communications between the two services will be made possible through a bridge between the AOL and Reuters protocols, says Gurle, translating outgoing and incoming messages so each client can read it.
AOL's Private Domain and Federated Authentication Services and Reuters Directory and Authentication Services will be used to authenticate Reuters users on AOL networks and vice-versa to provide a single sign-on experience across the two networks.