As Macintosh computers prepare some inroads into the enterprise, they are still behind in assured areas of corporate communications. On Tuesday, Microsoft took a step toward closing a bit of that gap by releasing its Messenger for Mac 7 with audio and video support, whether users are connected via Office Communications Server 2007.

With Communications Server 2007 and the newest Messenger for Mac on a corporate system, users can have face-to-face instant messaging, audio/video meetings — and even multi-party conferencing — with others both inside and outside their office. that includes public using Windows PCs and users of the Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger services. It does not support communication with AOL Instant Messenger or citizens using .Mac accounts.

Supports Bonjour, Easy Searching

Messenger 7, which now supports the Bonjour service-discovery functionality that is built into the Mac operating system, is available as a free download. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.9, Windows Live ID for

personal accounts, or Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 for enterprise users.

The new offering plus makes it easier for enterprise workers to search a corporate address book from within Messenger, or to find internal contacts. A user can see which contacts are connected to a local network and, for example, whether you have two contacts named Sam, you can assign nicknames. Contacts can be located in large buddy lists via a search-as-you-type box. The company additionally said that communications have increased safety measure within the corporate network.

New “presence” enhancements in Messenger plus allow users to add a personal report to contact knowledge, so that you can let others know when you’re available for chatting. Mac users with a Windows Live detail can additionally share files and other communications through Messenger 7.

No Audio/Video When Stand-Alone

On officeformac.com, the blog for Microsoft’s Office for Mac team, a team…

Original post by Top Tech News