ARMONK, N.Y., MILAN and PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM), VMware (NYSE: VMW) and Keepod products family manufacturer NSEC, today announced that they have partnered to offer IBM's Lotus Symphony productivity software suite on Keepod devices for the first time.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091117/NY12337-a )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091117/NY12337-b )

IBM's Lotus Symphony software suite helps users create, edit and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Based on an open, secure platform, the intuitive business productivity offering is easy-to-use and free of charge. With today's news, for the first time, users can access the information they need anytime, anywhere securely via the Keepod.

This portable version of the software, packaged using VMware ThinApp(TM) and made possible through an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement between IBM and NSEC, can be launched directly from any Keepod device, without installing anything on the PC and without leaving a footprint on the system. Launching Lotus Symphony directly from Keepod means that users won't leave any trace of their work, which may be confidential in nature.

Keepod(TM) (http://www.mykeepod.com/) is the world's slimmest USB secure portable device. Sized as a credit card and equipped with robust enterprise class encryption, Keepod provides a complete offering for business users. With up to 16GB of secure storage, Keepod stores all the user's files and run applications on the go.

"With this Keepod offering, we are able to extend Symphony benefits to many new users," said Kevin Cavanaugh, vice president, Messaging and Collaboration, IBM Lotus. "Our goal with Lotus Symphony software is to provide a fully capable alternative to Microsoft Office, giving business and consumers alike real choice and cost savings."

VMware ThinApp is an enterprise-proven, agentless application virtualization solution with the lowest total cost of ownership. ThinApp seamlessly fits into any environment, streamlines application deployments by packaging an entire application including its settings into a single executable that is isolated from the OS, ensures compatibility and portability, and reduces costly regression testing and application conflicts.

VMware ThinApp application virtualization software enables IBM to deliver the complete Lotus Symphony suite on Keepod devices to enable maximum mobility to end users and allow them to work securely anywhere.

"The combined solution of Keepod, VMware ThinApp and Lotus Symphony allows for greater mobility of office automation software and provides secured access to corporate applications on the road or from home," said Patrick Harr, vice president of Enterprise Desktop Marketing, Desktop Business Unit, VMware.

The Keepod-compatible version of the software is being offered free of charge, exclusively via the Keepod Online Store (store.mykeepod.com). Visitors can download the virtualized Lotus Symphony on their Keepod after a fast registration process. The solution is available for current Keepod customers as well as new users who can download and test the software after registration.

"A free of charge professional office productivity suite, that is available to use at any-time, in a secure way, on any PC regardless of internet or network connectivity, sounded like a very good idea," said Nissan Bahar, CEO of NSEC. "Delivering applications on the Keepod platform provides a real added value to businesses in terms of mobility, IT flexibility, security and cutting costs. Partnering with IBM and VMware created a solution that is a safe choice for IT managers in businesses of any size."

NSEC recently launched its Online Software Market, which leverages the VMware platform, and began providing virtualized open-source software that Keepod users can freely download and use on their Keepod devices.

Thanks to Lotus Symphony software, businesses can control software acquisition and upgrade costs, provide compatibility with Microsoft Office file formats, protect future access to documents with support for Open Document Format, and support a global workforce with Lotus Symphony's native language support for more than 28 languages.

To learn more about NSEC Srl, visit nsec.it

To learn more about Keepod, visit mykeepod.com

To learn more about IBM Lotus Symphony, visit symphony.lotus.com

To get IBM Lotus Symphony for your Keepod device, visit store.mykeepod.com

To learn more about VMware, visit vmware.com

To learn more about VMware ThinApp, visit vmware.com/products/thinapp

VMware and VMware ThinApp are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. The use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

    NSEC Contact:
    Guido Jarach
    Marketing Manager
    +39 02-89.69.24.11
    marketing@nsec.it
    www.nsec.it
    www.keepod.it

    IBM Contact:
    Michelle McIntyre
    IBM Global Media Relations
    +1 (408) 483-6681
    mc@us.ibm.com
    www.ibm.com/software/lotus

    VMware Contact:
    Nick Fuentes
    VMware Global Communications
    Ph.: +1 (650) 427-1104
    nfuentes@vmware.com
    www.vmware.com

SOURCE IBM