IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced its newest cloud service -- LotusLive Connections -- which combines business social networking with collaboration tools. Part of IBM's cloud service portfolio, LotusLive (www.lotuslive.com), LotusLive Connections extends IBM's reach further into new markets.

As part of the unveiling, LotusLive was voted the winner of The Enterprise 2.0 Cloud Computing Technology Buyers' Choice Award. IBM's cloud services won in a side-by-side comparison with Google Apps, EMC and other vendors' cloud technologies, as voted by the Enterprise 2.0 conference attendees.

"IBM is an established leader in two major trends: cloud computing and social networking for business. At the nexus of these trends is LotusLive Connections," said Bob Picciano , general manager, IBM Lotus Software. "LotusLive Connections brings companies of all sizes the ability to build, share information and easily work with their extended business network over the Web."

LotusLive Connections helps individuals, departments and small businesses tap into the intellectual resources and capabilities that previously have only been accessible to large enterprises. Using core elements of IBM's proven on-premise Lotus Connections social software, LotusLive Connections connects colleagues, partners, suppliers and customers from within and beyond firewalls.

LotusLive Connections simplifies working together, making it easy to identify and work with experts from any company online with the flexibility, convenience and affordable pricing associated with multi-tenant cloud services. Instant messaging, file sharing and activities are all instantly accessible for use with LotusLive networks.

For example, a team planning a project can create a group around the project, including vendors from outside their company. Together they can build a project plan using Activities and post and share associated files. Comments can be made and tasks tracked in the same service. All participants are kept up-to-date without having to hunt through email for the latest documents. Networking, sharing and collaborating are all integrated in LotusLive Connections.

LotusLive Connections will be available on June 30, 2009.