IBM has introduced an enhanced LotusLive collaboration software suite for cloud-based delivery, giving users one-click access to enterprise-class email, calendaring, instant messaging, Web conferencing, file sharing, and social networking services for $10 per user per month. IBM says the move aims to accelerate the adoption of cloud collaboration services to increase productivity, collaboration, and innovation in today's global enterprises.
For rock-bottom pricing, IBM also unveiled a cloud service called LotusLive Notes, which is based on IBM's flagship messaging capabilities. LotusLive Notes delivers feature-rich email, shared calendar, instant messaging, and personal contact services, starting at only $5 per user per month.
Meanwhile, IBM is also touting a new feature within LotusLive called Communities, which is designed to help people work together both inside and outside of their enterprise. Within a Community, members have the ability to tag information, share files and bookmarks, track projects, and host discussion forums securely across multiple companies.
Using the Collaboration Cloud
aatranslations, a mid-size pan European provider of language translation services, is taking advantage of the LotusLive licensing model to collaborate with 7,000 clients and 700 translators in 20 countries, IBM reports, without the worry of firewalls or additional costs. Working with IBM third-party provider FreshTL, aatranslations chose IBM LotusLive over Microsoft BPOS and Google Apps because LotusLive removes barriers to working together, allowing them to conduct business and collaborate with anyone and reducing the time it takes to work on every project.
"aatranslations chose LotusLive because it gave us all the services we needed -- online meetings, document sharing and email, under one roof with one login," notes Jeremy Clutton, managing director of aatranslations. "LotusLive also gives us the ability to invite guests at no extra charge which allows us to collaborate with hundreds of clients and translators every month -- we felt that neither BPOS or Google Apps could provide that."
SIT La Precisa, an Italian-based company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of electronic controls and equipment, uses Lotus Notes and Domino on premise in their headquarters. They chose IBM LotusLive because of the unique hybrid value, bringing together on-premise and cloud-based services easily. With employees working all over the world, many in small offices with just a few people, it had been difficult to provide the same email service to everyone. SIT La Precisa wanted to move its disparate staff off a variety of email systems, including Microsoft Exchange, onto one email platform without having to make expensive capital investments in infrastructure. It is currently rolling out LotusLive iNotes in several markets across the globe to provide employees with essential messaging and calendaring capabilities under one domain name.
Signature Mortgage Corporation of Canton, Ohio is using IBM LotusLive and taking advantage of the integration with third-party Silanis' e-SignLive services, delivered by IBM business partner Silanis. By allowing their clients to electronically review and sign mortgage applications from the convenience of their home or office, IBM reports, Signature Mortgage hopes to improve customer experiences, generate better rates for customers and increase revenues for the company. By filing and sharing their documents in LotusLive, customers no longer need to spend time or money on printing, shipping, returning and verifying applications. Signature Mortgage expects to reduce the time to process mortgage applications from its current seven-day track record down to 24 hours.