if irc isn't your thing, just install a jabber daemon on that unix server that is now doing your mail/spam filtering/cacti/etc. add the conferencing component

if irc isn't your thing, just install a jabber daemon on that unix server that is now doing your mail/spam filtering/cacti/etc. add the conferencing component to it and you'll have real-time group chat just like irc that works in adium/ichat.