IBM has released a series of cloud computing services, including a social networking and online collaboration beta that promises secure, cross-company communication.The Bluehouse suite of hosted online technologies allows businesses of all sizes to share documents and contacts, engage in joint project activities, host online meetings, and build social networking communities via the cloud, according to Big Blue. SMBs, in particular, will benefit from Bluehouse's minimal up-front costs and maintenance. Bluehouse (which actually went into a small beta at the beginning of the year) is free for the time being, but those "minimal" costs will kick in early next year when the service becomes generally available.

"Were making business-class tools available as an online service," IBM VP Sean Poulley tells The New York Times.

IBM is also rolling out Lotus Sametime Unyte, a Web conferencing system that allows for application- and document-sharing, but minus on-site software server deployment or support. The conferencing system includes multilanguage support, and plans call for IBM to integrate Lotus Notes and Lotus Sametime.

Other new subscription-based services include IBM Rational Policy Tester OnDemand, for Web content scanning; and IBM Rational AppScan OnDemand, for application scanning. IBM is also addressing ISVs' needs with resources that can help them build applications for the cloud.