Category
IBM/Lotus
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 for
$7
April 14, 2010 -- ARMONK, NY -- 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, SkypeTM, salesforce.com and Silanis. IBM will also
offer the first cloud service package combining social networking and email
for business for $7.
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.
