IBM has established a new cloud computing laboratory in Hong Kong. The new facility will provide a global hub for web-based messaging services to support IBM’s LotusLive cloud service portfolio, which offers company-to-company social networking and online collaboration tools.
IBM said that the new lab will be located in Hong Kong’s Cyberport complex. The new facility brings the number of IBM’s worldwide cloud labs to 10. IBM added that its cloud labs provide a range of services including development of online services that take advantage of the economies of scale offered by cloud computing.
IBM has also announced the closing of the acquisition of Outblaze Limited’s messaging assets. Privately held Outblaze operates an online service platform for the provision of secure, private-label email, collaboration and social media services to other service providers, telecommunications operators, corporations, academia, media and publishing companies. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
IBM said that Outblaze offers services in 22 languages and has more than 40 million users under management. The Outblaze asset purchase adds web-based email to IBM’s portfolio of online collaboration tools. Subscribers will be able to provision email accounts and users can access their email from any computer through any web browser.
Bob Picciano, general manager of IBM Lotus Software, said: IBM is focused on helping businesses, large and small, work smarter to drive innovation up and costs down and this new cloud lab will reinforce that. LotusLive.com will soon include the most secure, scalable, business-ready web mail in the industry as part of a full-service collaboration suite to help simplify and improve the way organizations work with their customers and partners.
