While businesses across the globe have been using free instant messaging for work-related discussions for quite a while now, it was only inevitable that the world's largest ISP would get their hands around a business application for this concept. That concept is AOL's AIM@Work portal.

USA Today has a story today that describes how Time Warner's AOL arm is teaming up with online meeting manager WebEx and telecom solutions provider Lightbridge to offer what will be known as AIM Business Services. From voice conference calls to web meetings, AIM Business Services is looking to offer cost efficient communications tools through a medium that may already be utilized by a company's staff.

AOL has even taken the instant messaging username selection up a level with their Identity Services platform, which allows authentication of users who have a username@companyname screenname through the AIM product in order to add credibility and identity security to the system.

The only question remaining is whether companies will move their off-net telecommunications needs to a paid model on the Internet through AOL. The partnership with WebEx lends a significant amount of creedence to the service, IMHO, as many corporations have been using their web conferencing in conjunction with telephone conference calls in order to have meetings where people are in various locations, significantly lowering travel costs - but will companies leave their current "safe" telephone bridge away anytime soon?