IBM open the door to a SaaS (software-as-a-service) product called “Bluehouse” beta — a service that merges some of the best features of social networking with business collaboration tools. The service is free during public beta release, and once the testing ends, subscription pricing, which has not yet been detailed, will kick in.

Bluehouse combines a familiar pallet of collaboration tools, including IM (instant messaging), Web conferencing, document sharing, profiles, directory and tools to build business networking communities -- all delivered via a cloud platform. Bluehouse will allow people to quickly create a collaborative space, but unlike Facebook it has management features to ensure privacy and other controls that businesses want, said Sean Poulley, vice president of IBM's online collaboration services.

Source:→ Computerworld