Lotusphere 2010: IBM has added online meeting functionality and expanded audio and video integration to its Lotus Sametime 8.5 videoconferencing software.

Version 8.5 was previewed in December, and allows users to invite participants to a meeting by dragging a name from an instant messaging list and dropping it into the meeting group.

Participants will be able to accept meeting invitations with a single click, and upload material to the meeting via drag and drop.

"It makes videoconferencing a lot easier to use," said Akiba Saeedi, manager of workplace collaboration products at IBM.

The new version of Sametime also offers password protected meeting rooms which are always available so that meetings can be started instantly, IBM said. Documents and presentations can be stored in the rooms permanently.

IBM said that businesses can also use a Sametime 8.5 web client to integrate Sametime capabilities into applications and web sites in order to reduce the charges associated with customer support lines.

Saeedi said that customers should not expect any more major updates to Sametime this year.

"We have had two massive innovations in 2009, so this year will be focused on customer consumption," she said at IBM's annual Lotusphere event in Orlando, Florida.