International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) Tuesday stepped up its cloud-based software offering, launching a suite of contact management and instant messaging services for businesses, which can be accessed via the cloud.

The services build on IBM's existing Lotus Live product, an online version of its Lotus Notes collaboration tool, and are accessed on a subscription basis.

Cloud computing, an ill-defined term for a group of products and services which enable computing to move off companies' premises and onto data centers owned by technology companies, accessed via the Internet, is seen as a core growth area for the industry. IT research firm Gartner estimated last week that revenue from cloud services will grow to $150 billion by 2013.

IBM said it will charge companies between $10 and $45 per user per month for the software suite, which it will host at its own data centers and deliver via the Internet. The services are expected to go live on April 7.

IBM's attempts to lead a coalition aimed at more closely defining cloud computing and setting ground rules backfired this week after several major companies declined to join its alliance. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) declined to sign up to an IBM-led "open cloud manifesto", claiming there wasn't enough transparency in the drafting of the document, and that it was too early to set standards for cloud computing.

IBM has much to gain from winning a leading role in cloud computing, as it can offer everything from the hardware used to create data centers to the online software.

-By Jessica Hodgson; Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6455; jessica.hodgson@dowjones.com