Gartner has called Instant Messaging “the sleeping giant of the Internet.” The tech analysis company expects 70% of employees will use IM for personal communication this year. Already, business communications account for one-third of the 1 billion instant messages sent daily. What will spur the growth of IM, though, is the introduction of new technologies that transform the technology for a simple communication tool to a front end for business applications.

India’s Express Computer magazine reports that more mobile devices will be able to access IM and a host of business applications are ready for unveiling. It’s not so much instant messaging any more; now it’s “instant collaboration, “which

refers to the ability to escalate a single IM-session into a multi-party conferencing environment. In addition to conferencing, users can also execute web collaboration applications including web presentations, white-boarding, application or desktop-sharing among others. Given the power of real time communication, some believe that IM may even replace e-mail.

The article offers a thorough rundown of many new offerings due to hit the marketplace this year, including IM tools with built-in customer relationship management software and IM tools that can handle internal form completion.