IT consulting giant IBM has unveiled its latest online business collaboration tool, Project Vulcan. It is a joint effort from its research unit and its Lotus software development team.

The tool will combine email, calendar and social analytics in one platform. It is due to be tested on IBM's LotusLive Labs, a site designed specifically for testing internet-based collaboration tools, in the second half of the year.

Ed Brill, IBM chief of product management for Lotus software claims the tool will be ground-breaking and will "leave everyone else in the dust". He say, "One of the key themes is social analytics and business analytics combined to industry-specific scenarios." It is thought this will make the collaboration more focussed and relevant than previous tools.