Now in its 19th year, Lotusphere will once again attempt to make up the ground Lotus Notes lost as a result of shifts in strategy at IBM and changes in the market in the past few years. But with Lotus Notes facing an uphill battle, five days at "the happiest place on Earth" will have to go a long way.

IBM is helping iPhones go corporate this week, with the introduction of a free plug in that allows Notes users to read their encrypted e-mail on the Apple smartphone.

Signaling an intent to compete with giants in the collaboration software space, Google is introducing an API to extend the Google Sites collaborative content development tool, featuring a capability to migrate files from workspace applications such as Microsoft SharePoint and Lotus Notes to Sites.

Continuing its attempt to lure in enterprise-level users, Google Inc. today unveiled a tool aimed at helping companies migrate from Lotus Notes to Google Apps.

IBM/Lotus for the first time will provide users of the iPhone -- and other mobile devices that support ActiveSync -- with real-time access to their e-mail, calendars and contacts.

Ahead of its annual Lotusphere conference next week, IBM claimed that its Lotus Notes collaboration software is starting to turn the tide against its bigger rival, Microsoft's Exchange.

IBM has teamed up with Ubuntu and Virtual Bridges to offer a virtualised version of the popular Lotus Notes software. The companies claimed that users would be able to experience significant savings compared to a Windows-based machine.

Microsoft's SharePoint collaboration server software is, by many accounts, a huge hit, providing that seemingly irresistible formula of solid technology for free or at a low price.