Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of its newest version of the Microsoft Solution for Intranets (MSI). With the Microsoft Solution for Intranets 1.5, Microsoft is extending collaboration opportunities through companies such as Groove Networks Inc., which will release within the next 30 days a partner solution offering that integrates with the MSI technology. The Groove Networks software integrates Groove Workspace with SharePoint Team Services. The MSI 1.5 improves on the 1.0 platform with several upgrades that promote collaboration and ease of use. Chief among these is the addition of Microsoft Producer, which allows a content author to create rich-media presentations (audio or video synchronized with PowerPoint slides and other HTML elements) for on-demand viewing. Other additions include streamlined integration between the MSI 1.5 and Microsoft Content Management Server and the installation of the Microsoft .NET Framework on all servers in the solution, enabling the development of collaborative Web services. www.microsoft.com