Enterprise 2.0: IBM's LotusLive Connections Captures AwardEnterprise 2.0: IBM's LotusLive Connections Captures Award

IBM moved this week to bridge the gap between current computing phenomena -- cloud computing and social networking -- by unveiling LotusLive Connections. The cloud service won the Enterprise 2.0 Cloud Computing Technology Buyers' Choice Award, beating other leading cloud computing providers in side-by-side competitions at the conference in Boston.

A part of LotusLive, LotusLive Connections combines business social networking with collaboration tools.

Taking note of IBM's commitment to cloud computing and social networking for business, Bob Picciano, general manager of IBM Lotus Software, said: "At the nexus of these trends is LotusLive Connections, [which] bring companies of all sizes the ability to build share information and easily work with their extended business network over the Web."

Previously available only for large enterprise users, LotusLive Connections enables individuals, departmental units, and small businesses to use IBM's established Lotus Connections social software. Participants can connect with colleagues, partners, suppliers, and customers from within and beyond firewalls with the new software release.

LotusLive makes instantly available popular services such as instant messaging and file sharing, while networking, sharing, and collaborating are integrated in LotusLive Connections.

As a working example, IBM described a company project that might include vendors from outside the company and that might encompass all participants posting and sharing associated files to build a project plan. Comments and tasks can be tracked through the same service, and participants could be kept up to date without needing to dig through e-mail for documents.

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