"PDAs and smartphones represent a greater security threat to the enterprise than the hacking threats that created the Internet firewall industry, " he says.

CNN: Palm focuses on blazing enterprise network trail

If the issue of vendor lock-in is not carefully managed, the cloud could represent a step backward in terms of its impact on flexibility and choice in the enterprise.

FORBES: RedHat CEO Whitehurst: Don't Be Tricked into Cloud-based Lock-in

The programs, an addition to the company's "Lotus" group of applications, also represent one of IBM's most ambitious forays yet into enterprise software-as-a-service, the browser-based model of applications pioneered by companies like Salesforce.com.

FORBES: Enterprise