IBM LotusLive Expands with Business Tools and Services from UPS, Skype, Salesforce.com and Silanis to Serve Growing Demand for Cloud Computing

Launches New Cloud Offering Combining Email & Social Networking Starting at $7

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Apr 14, 2010, 12:06 ET

ARMONK, N.Y., April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it is addressing the growing demand for business-focused collaboration by adding new tools and services, language support and pricing to its LotusLive cloud services, including integrated business products and services from UPS, Skype, salesforce.com and Silanis. IBM will also offer the first cloud service package combining social networking and email for business starting at $7.

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LotusLive delivers cloud-based, integrated email, Web conferencing, social networking and collaboration services to simplify and improve daily business interactions with customers, partners and colleagues -- all with IBM's focus on security, reliability and integration.

"In its first year, IBM LotusLive has won the trust of people from businesses of all sizes who want to work safely with people outside and inside their company," said Sean Poulley, IBM vice president for cloud collaboration. "Now IBM is weaving essential business services such as shipping, contract signing, Internet calling and CRM into the very fabric of LotusLive allowing people to get their work done faster."

UPS Brings Shipping into LotusLive

IBM is integrating UPS shipping and visibility functionality within LotusLive. Expected to be available later this year, this integration is designed to simplify and speed important shipping-related tasks, enabling users to quickly manage these details directly from their LotusLive dashboard. UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide; this solution places the ubiquitous UPS shipping services at the fingertips of LotusLive business users.

"We continue to see demand for business process improvement of core workflow responsibilities, worldwide," said Jordan Colletta, Vice President, UPS Customer Technology Marketing. "As business moves faster, companies are looking to gain immediate access to UPS services. Integrating UPS shipping and visibility capabilities within the flow of cloud-based collaboration in LotusLive is a natural step in meeting the needs of our customers."

Integrated Business Tools and Services Available Today for CRM, e-Signing, Internet Calls

IBM is also announcing the availability of LotusLive integrations with Skype, salesforce.com and Silanis. While the industry norm is to offer cloud services in separate silos, IBM's integrations remove barriers between services, creating a seamless experience across the applications and business processes. For example, people can use files from LotusLive in Silanis, launch them in a meeting from Salesforce CRM, launch a call with Skype, or ship a package with UPS -- all in the same work flow from within LotusLive.

With the LotusLive Engage for Salesforce CRM integration, customers can take advantage of LotusLive Meetings, Files, and Activities to collaborate with colleagues around the world from within Salesforce CRM. The LotusLive cloud collaboration tools are a great complement to Salesforce CRM, offering a comprehensive collaboration solution for mutual IBM and salesforce.com customers.

Silanis e-SignLive e-signature services enables people from multiple organizations to use LotusLive to easily participate in a fully electronic signing process, helping to complete business transactions and legal contracts faster, more efficiently and with fewer errors. This partnership will expand the potential reach of LotusLive to the world's largest insurance and financial services companies, government agencies, integrators and service providers that trust Silanis to move their business processes online.

For example, Signature Mortgage Corporation, a beta customer for Silanis e-SignLive, is enabling clients to complete and sign mortgage applications using the combined Silanis e-SignLive and LotusLive solution. This will help to improve customer experience and retention at Signature Mortgage Corporation, as well as enable the 10-person mortgage consulting team out of Canton, Ohio to compete in a market where low rates alone aren't enough to win new business.

After downloading and installing Skype, LotusLive users can now use Skype to make voice calls via a simple click of a LotusLive contact's Skype name or phone number. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users -- and now, LotusLive users can have convenient access to these same global communications tools right from within LotusLive.

These partner integrations from LotusLive help people work the way they want to work, demonstrate the power of the open Web and showcase the power of the cloud - allowing people from any company to easily come together to get business done. For more information on these integrations, please go to https://www.lotuslive.com/en/lotuslive_apps_2.php

Business email and social networking for $7

Available today, businesses can purchase a new bundle of secure, enterprise-grade cloud email and social networking for only $7 USD per user, per month. Combining the capabilities of LotusLive iNotes and LotusLive Connections, the bundle provides essential email, file store and share, activity management, instant messaging and social networking services to enable businesses to work with anyone from anywhere and is available today at www.lotuslive.com/bundle.

LotusLive Now Supports 15 Languages

Today, LotusLive services become available in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish -- adding to the current availability of Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.

A no-cost, 30-day trial in these languages is available at www.lotuslive.com/compare.

For information on the IBM LotusLive Partner Program -- including a no-cost, 365-day demo account for IBM business partners – visit www.lotuslive.com/businesspartners.

Skype legal disclaimer: Access to a broadband Internet connection is required. Skype is not a replacement for traditional telephone services and cannot be used for emergency calling. Skype, associated trademarks and logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.