IBM Announces Wide Ranging Cloud Collaboration Products

IBM introduced a new collaboration software suite in the cloud that gives users one-click access to collaboration and social networking services for only $10 per month.  The company says the move is to accelerate the adoption of cloud collaboration services that increase productivity, collaboration and innovation. This appears to be built around the LotusLive platform.

The idea is that this will make it easier for IBM cloud customers of all sizes to take advantage of all the collaboration capabilities of LotusLive. The offering combines enterprise-class email, calendaring, instant messaging, Web conferencing, file sharing and social networking services in an easy-to-deploy, simplified package for $10 per user, per month.

IBM also unveiled a cloud service called LotusLive Notes, based on IBM’s flagship messaging capabilities already used by millions of people worldwide. LotusLive Notes delivers feature-rich email, shared calendar, instant messaging and personal contact services and it all starts at $5 per user, per month.

Another new feature within LotusLive, called Communities, offers to help organizations’ ability to work together both inside and outside their enterprises.  Within a Community, members can tag information, share files and bookmarks, track projects and host discussion forums securely, and across multiple companies.

“Businesses are looking to reduce costs, do more with less, and find ways to work more closely with their customers and partners,” said Sean Poulley, IBM vice president of cloud collaboration. “LotusLive gives them the right tools to do this, delivered by a company they trust and is focused on security and reliability.”