Google and Salesforce.com are discussing an alliance that could see the two bundle web-based applications, according to today's Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal said that details of the potential partnership are yet to be decided but that an announcement is due in the coming weeks.

Google, the dominant search engine on the internet, reaches millions of people with its web-based Googlemail email service and other applications such as online calendars, notebooks and instant messaging. Salesforce.com is a pioneer in web-delivered applications for the corporate market, such as CRM (customer-relationship management) systems.

They both compete with Microsoft, which is starting to corral its online services together under the Windows Live banner.

Representatives of Google and Salesforce.com were unavailable for comment.