<A HREF="http://www.lotus.com./home.nsf/welcome/newsviews">IBM</A> has announced the availability of Lotus Sametime 2.5, the latest version of its real-time collaboration platform. IBM says that Lotus Sametime 2.5 introduces improved Extranet connectivity, enhanced control over meeting participation with new online meeting tools, and support for Solaris, IBM zSeries, iSeries, pSeries, and Windows server platforms. With Lotus Sametime 2.5, companies should be able to more simply extend secure, real-time collaboration services to employees and those outside their corporate firewall.