register |
login
| search members submit a classified | request a media kit
connecting people & knowledge
Analysis: Is Social Networking for The Office The Next Big Thing?Authored by Jay Baage on January 22, 2007 - 1:50pm.
 IBM on Monday revealed a collaboration-software called Lotus Connections - apparently the company’s weapon of choice for winning the battle over the connected office. However, Microsoft, and possibly a number of other players like Google, are not blind to the idea that there is good potential in creating a MySpace for office workers.IBM officials see a shift in focus from the quest for personal productivity that characterized computer advances of the 1990s to group productivity which web-based collaborative tools have begun to enable in recent years. It is an interesting shift that perhaps will lessen the focus on email when it comes to communication in the office. Lotus Connections combines five components: member profiles, activities, blogs, communities and "dogear"—IBM's word for how users identify and share web bookmarks with colleagues. The new offering could chip away at Microsoft's lead in the collaboration and e-mail messaging market, where five years ago Microsoft’s Outlook and its newer SharePoint collaboration software began to surge past rival IBM products, according to Peter O'Kelly, a collaboration software expert with Burton Group: "This is going to rekindle the competition between Microsoft and IBM," O'Kelly said to Reuters. "I think IBM is playing offense here." The key to success that both IBM and Microsoft have identified is to wrap up five social networking technologies up into one integrated package – similar to what Microsoft's Office does for traditional desktop productivity software, such as Word and Excel. "While social computing software is perceived as being at the fringe of most large businesses, it's actually moving to the center fast – because it's about how the next generation of employees communicate, and create and share ideas," says Franks Gens, senior vice-president for research at tech market research IDC to Business Week. The only question is if this kind of functionality will be controlled by an old-school PC or software company such as IBM and Microsoft, or if they simply will be fighting a losing battle against new Web 2.0 companies, such as Google. The search giant has already proven willing to explore the opportunity to provide free, simple, no-frills competing solutions for classic office software such as Word and Excel, which delivers what you need to your desktop, as you need it. Some people even go as far as saying that Microsoft’s new Vista Operating System will be the last operating system the company will ever develop. Experts claim that the future is simply free, web-based operating systems. No longer will users have to buy expensive operating systems in a store or online and load it onto their computers. If Google follows through with more offerings of free, ad-supported software over the Internet, Microsoft won’t be able to charge a premium for its operating systems anymore. Nobody will need its big upgrades anymore. Supposing this threat, or the one from the free Linux operating system, is real, then the question becomes is this short window of opportunity worth the risk and investment being made by IBM and Microsoft? Joakim Baage Related Links: IBM's Lotus Hops on Social Networking Bandwagon (PC Mag) IBM Debuts Office MySpace (Red Herring) Repost: Why Vista May Be the Last of its Kind (Dean Takahashi) |
Upcoming DMW Events
Nov. 18-19, 2008 | New York www.televisionconference.com 
Jan. 9, 2009 | Las Vegas www.digitalmediainsider.com 
Feb. 25-26, 2009 | New York www.digitalmusicforum.com Events Calendar Submit a Speaker To receive event updates & announcements: 
DMW 100 Financial Index
Recent comments
NavigationUser loginAds |
DMW Daily NewsletterLatest Top Stories
Latest Briefly Noted
Our Sponsors
PollOur PublicationsOther Ads |
Comments
IBM's Social media entry : Implications
zooped.com
Post new comment