IBM and Avaya on Wednesday announced a partnership that would enhance IBM's enterprise communication offerings with VoIP and audio capabilities. IBM's Lotus Notes and Sametime IM products will gain a "click-to-call" feature, while the audio conferencing in Lotus Web Conferencing is enhanced with features such as a visual representation of who is currently speaking.

"Businesses are asking for ways to leverage the value of audio integration within the context of the work they are doing, without having to replace their existing IT infrastructure," said Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Software.

"Now, organizations can seamlessly transition between e-mail, instant messaging and a phone call, extending the value of their existing infrastructure while enabling faster and more efficient responses to marketplace dynamics."

IBM and Avaya say the goal is to make the VoIP capabilities within the Lotus line of products as seamless as possible, which they say would result in increases in productivity and efficiency, as the users will be able to add audio to their collaborative tasks.

The two companies have worked together since 2001, bringing several products to the market that have included Contact Center, IP Telephony and Speech Self-Service. Wednesday's agreement will further broaden the relationship between the two companies.

IBM also plans to use Avaya's IP-audio conferencing technology internally in some portions of its workforce across the Americas.

"This is a significant expansion in our relationship with IBM and we look forward to continuing to work together in helping businesses communicate and collaborate effectively," Michael Thurk, vice president at Avaya Enterprise Communications Group, said.

The new features should make it to Lotus Sametime late this year and in Lotus Notes and Domino in the first quarter of 2006.