IBM Puts Lotus Symphony on a USB Drive

IBM positions Lotus Symphony as a fully functional alternative to Microsoft Office. The application suite is compatible with Office file formats. Like the Linux platform, Lotus Symphony is free of charge and based on an open, secure platform. It helps users create, edit and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

The portable version of Symphony software, packaged using the VMWare ThinApp application virtualization solution, can be launched from any encrypted Keepod device without installing anything on a PC or leaving a footprint on the system. IBM promotes this feature as a security enhancer for users performing confidential work. Keepods can hold up to 16 GB of secure storage.

By providing a completely secure and portable version of Lotus Symphony, IBM is launching a flank assault on the dominance of Microsoft Office with business enterprise users. Free, open-source business enterprise solutions are nothing new, yet business enterprise users continue to rely on Microsoft Office simply because it is the standard and seamlessly integrates with all the Windows-based software everybody has been running for years. IBM is smart enough to know it cannot realistically knock Microsoft Office off its perch by competing head-on, even with the advantage of free cost.

However, by packaging Lotus Symphony in a way users can securely take their Symphony-based enterprise with them wherever they go, IBM is carving out a potentially lucrative niche it can fill in with support and add-on applications. By playing up the no-installation/footprint angle, IBM is also trying to build appeal to the increasingly security-conscious customers.