IBM Lotus unveils virtual office

The computer giant has unveiled Sametime 3D at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston; this virtual world is mundane and workaday on purpose, reports Boston.com.

Instead of exotic islands and futuristic nightclubs, IBM's digital universe features conference tables, a gigantic appointment calendar, and a flip chart. At least one of the avatars, the computer-created characters that stand in for real people using the service, is wearing a tie.

This unlikely business product is one of three new projects from the Boston-area IBM Lotus team, all designed to offer the appeal of the latest personal software ideas in office applications.

HP expanded its Total Care initiative for small and midsize businesses (SMEs) with several new products, solutions and services that reduce costs, improve productivity and enhance efficiency, states Independent Online.

To help SME customers keep their businesses up and running with less capital and fewer employees and technology resources, HP has introduced infrastructure offerings including storage, virtualisation, remote access and consolidation solutions.

“In today's economic climate, SMEs need technology solutions that take out costs while helping drive even greater competitive advantage so they can survive and thrive,” said Kathy Chou, vice-president, worldwide small and medium business strategy, HP.

Xerox has announced two new reseller partnerships. Bristol-based Portrayal has been appointed a Xerox reseller, while Aspen Solutions in Scotland has become an official Xerox concessionaire, says Channel Pro.

Says Vincent Harkins, MD for Cumbernauld-based Aspen, “We believe that partnering with Xerox...will enable us to achieve our ambition to be one of Scotland's leading IT solutions companies.”

Portrayal says the partnership with Xerox helps enhance its growth in the colour market and lets it offer a wider range of solutions. Portrayal becomes the first authorised service provider for Xerox A3 multifunction devices in the UK.