IBM Sees Cloud Adoption Soar for Midsized Firms; Expands LotusLive 
A recent IBM survey on cloud adoption found two-thirds of mid-sized companies are using or plan to use cloud-based technologies to improve IT systems management and save money. The survey of 2,000 firms comes as IBM announces further offerings for mid-sized companies, with new LotusLive partnerships.
A recent IBM survey on cloud adoption found two-thirds of mid-sized companies are using or plan to use cloud-based technologies to improve IT systems management and save money. The survey of 2,000 firms comes as IBM announces further offerings for mid-sized companies, with new LotusLive partnerships.
LotusLive gives organizations integrated email, Web conferencing, as well as social networking and collaboration services through the IBM cloud. IBM has announced partnerships with Ariba and SugarCRM to enable customers to take advantage of social commerce and customer relationship management (CRM) in the cloud.
IBM’s findings maps with those from IDC research, which also sees a broadening of cloud adoption. IDC predicts worldwide spending on cloud services will grow almost three-fold, reaching $44.2 billion by 2013.
The SugarCRM and Ariba services with LotusLive are expected to be available during the first half of 2011. In specific:
- SugarCRM, a provider of open source CRM software, is integrating LotusLive into its CRM application to help its sales team collaborate more effectively with prospects and customers during lead generation, lead-to-cash and issue resolution processes, according to IBM officials. The partnership means a sales agent will be able to quickly launch a LotusLive online meeting with prospects from SugarCRM and share files and other information.
- Ariba is tying LotusLive into its Ariba Discovery, a free service that offers buyers access to more than 325,000 sellers in more than 400 business categories. Combining Ariba Discovery with LotusLive will let buyers and sellers collaborate more easily through online meetings, web conferences, online chats, and sharing documents, allowing companies to communicate better and make faster decisions.
Recent adopters of LotusLive’s public cloud services include: Australian Bureau of Statistics, C&D Foods, Crawford & Company, FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, General Milling Corporation, General Motors Components Holdings and the Zoo and Aquarium Association of Australia.
