Personal Information Manager

Why Trust Techopedia

What Does Personal Information Manager Mean?

A personal information manager (PIM) is a software application that uses tools to manage contacts, calendars, tasks, appointments and other personal data. PIM tools vary according to user need and product cost.

Advertisements

Techopedia Explains Personal Information Manager

PIM software is a very general term and may include any of the following features:

  • Address books
  • Lists (e.g., task lists)
  • Significant dates (e.g., birthdays, anniversaries, appointments and meetings)
  • RSS feeds
  • Reminders and alerts
  • Notes
  • Email, instant messaging (IM) and fax communication
  • Voicemail
  • Project management

It used to be that synchronization was implemented as a a point-in-time update between computers and devices. As more software migrates to the cloud, a PIM that syncs between multiple types of devices is standard.

Most users would probably never use the PIM term. For example, a user might know all his contacts and calendar information is with Google Apps, but he would not necessarily refer to it as his PIM.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.