IBM has announced it will help businesses work smarter with software and services on the BlackBerry platform, with support for the new BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.

BlackBerry smartphone users connected to BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 will soon be able to read documents on the road without a laptop and respond or securely blog in real time with IBM Symphony word processing software, the new BlackBerry Client for Lotus Sametime instant messaging, and the new native BlackBerry Client for Lotus Connections from Research In Motion (RIM).

"IBM Lotus software on the BlackBerry platform redefines what it means to be 'at work,'" said Bob Picciano, general manager, IBM Lotus Software. "BlackBerry smartphone customers will have access to a suite of Lotus applications, including personal productivity, real-time collaboration and social software tools that can help them work smarter on the go."

The new BlackBerry Client for Lotus Sametime extends real-time collaboration from the desktop computer to the BlackBerry smartphone, including instant messaging (IM), presence awareness, contacts, broadcasts, file transfer, click-to-call and other features. Traditional landline phones become obsolete through the combination of voice-over-IP with presence awareness via IBM Lotus Sametime and corporate network and wireless routing with the BlackBerry Bold smartphone. In addition to IM, presence is seen throughout the smartphone applications. For example, a customer can use instant messaging within their calendar or an email to get an urgent answer in the moment without breaking the work flow. If instant messages aren't fast enough, the click-to-call feature is one button away.

In addition, LotusLive Meetings -- a new software service in IBM's cloud-based portfolio (LotusLive.com)--will soon support the ability to participate in an online meeting on BlackBerry smartphones, making it easy to join a meeting regardless of location. By taking advantage of the 3G network, mobile workers can have an integrated audio and Web conferencing experience from the BlackBerry Bold or BlackBerry Storm smartphone. An open beta program for mobile LotusLive Meetings will be available in June at www.LotusLive.com.

The next generation BlackBerry Client for Lotus Connections, developed by RIM and just now available, will meet a need in corporate human resources to help manage an increasingly mobile workforce through social networks with blogs, activities, communities and tag clouds. Now, employees can form communities adding new contacts at conferences and other meetings while inventorying skills and expertise in the process. In addition, tag clouds help drill down through information on a myriad of contacts to the core expertise being sought locally or globally, wherever the customer may be.

"With nearly a decade of experience supporting over 130,000 BlackBerry smartphone users in more than 15 countries, IBM has seen a shift in customer requirements to mobilize teams beyond email on their smartphones to mobile applications that drive collaboration and group productivity," said Dan Papes, general manager, IBM Mobile Enterprise Services. "We are delighted with the new manageability and high availability features of BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 and the market-leading security that it brings to the Lotus software interactions that take place on BlackBerry smartphones."

As a member of beta program for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 and a BlackBerry Alliance member, IBM's input as both a global customer and managed services provider for the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for IBM Lotus Domino has provided RIM with product feedback that has helped strengthen the quality of the server software. BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0's over-the-air feature which allows IT administrators to issue applications and upgrades to devices without physically connecting smartphones to their company network improves IBM's ability to stage deployments or software upgrades. The application management in BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 also helps service providers or time-crunched IT departments to keep non-sanctioned applications that waste employee time off the smartphone and push productive applications to individuals or groups.

For more information on IBM enterprise collaboration software: www.ibm.com/lotus