Ezenia tool approved for DOD suite

Ezenia! Inc.'s InfoWorkSpace version 2.5.1 has completed interoperability testing for the Defense Collaborative Tool Suite.

InfoWorkSpace provides a secure virtual office on which users anywhere in the world can simultaneously work together on projects. The product features abilities such as private instant messaging and shared on-screen white boards, which staff can use to exchange ideas. The Defense Department's Joint Interoperability Test Command recently announced that the software has finished testing for the department's collaboration suite.

Military and government agencies such as the State Department use InfoWorkspace for virtual conferencing. In the Iraqi campaign, Air Force officials used the software in the Combined Air Operations Center, the main theater command and control center for air campaigns. In an April e-mail, Air Force Maj. Amy Dayton, chief of CAOC systems, praised InfoWorkSpace's file-sharing and conference briefing abilities.

The Defense Information Systems Agency's Defense Collaboration Tool Suite is a set of commercial products that military commands and agencies use for chat, videoconferences and sharing documents, slides and applications online.

In June, Groove Networks Inc.'s Workspace version 2.5 got the first certification for interoperability with the latest iteration of the defense collaboration suite. Other products being tested for the suite include:

* Lotus Development Corp.'s Sametime.

* Microsoft Corp.'s NetMeeting, Digital Dashboard and Outlook.

* Sun Microsystems Inc.'s SunForum.

* First Virtual Communications Inc.'s Conference Server.

* Asynchrony Solutions Inc.'s Envoke software for instant messaging.

* Real Networks Inc.'s RealPlayer client and streaming media server.