Gartner: Magic Quadrant for Social Software

Microsoft certainly sticks out in this Gartner Analysis.

As one my main focus area these days is on Software + Services I really am pleased with the quote on Google :

The SaaS-only model will limit the appeal for some organizations.

It confirms that although SaaS is an attractive business model with huge potential there are advantages in having multiple delivery options such as on-premise and hosting …

Microsoft: Strengths

• With SharePoint, Microsoft offers a broad set of capabilities that combine structured collaboration with core social computing capabilities, including blogs, wikis, podcasting, persistent group chat, discussion groups, "people search" that uses social network analysis, and related rich content, portal and workflow capabilities on a platform that offers consistent management and administration.
• Microsoft has continued to see exceptional market penetration, momentum, sizable internal and external deployments, and satisfaction with Windows SharePoint Services (a component included in Windows server at no extra charge) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) during 2008.
• It offers integration with desktop office applications and related offerings such as Microsoft's productivity tools, leading e-mail server, unified communications suite, Web-based meetings and Live Services.
• It has a very strong technology partner network ready to exploit SharePoint's presence in business environments while adding value and filling functionality gaps.
• The possibility now exists for better support for social analytics (sentiment and intent analysis) through integration with the recently acquired Fast Search & Transfer.
• Microsoft's market presence as a dependable global vendor enables it to handle enterprise requirements.

Microsoft : Cautions

• Given its breadth, MOSS may deter those who are looking to take advantage only of the collaboration and social networking capabilities, and those not fully committed to Microsoft infrastructure services.
• There are functional gaps including social tagging and bookmarking, social search and an improved wiki (although some of these are offered by Microsoft as open-source components through its Codeplex community).
• This strong partner network is a "double edged sword" as SharePoint may require a multivendor ecosystem to fulfill the needs of an organization with sophisticated social software needs.
• SharePoint's rich functionality can be hard to pull together into user-friendly environments without some technical assistance.
• More flexible deployment options are offered through the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) SaaS program, but its credibility will take time to establish.

As one my main focus area these days is on Software + Services I really am pleased with the quote on Google :

The SaaS-only model will limit the appeal for some organizations.

It confirms that although SaaS is an attractive business model with huge potential there are advantages in having multiple delivery options such as on-premise and hosting …

Source: Gartner Group

This report and many others are available on Microsoft’s Analyst Relations page.

CIO's fear consumer technologies

Every year CIO.com has a survey amongs CIO's about the usage and uptake of consumer technologies:

... Even if most CIOs and IT managers were to acknowledge that major technology innovations occur in the consumer space first before they carry over into the enterprise, that doesn’t mean they have to like it. It also doesn’t mean the explosion of devices, smart phones, Web-based applications and social networks doesn’t keep them up at night worrying about enterprise security. In the Nine Consumer Technologies CIOs Fear, we profiled which technologies IT executives find the most troublesome from a security perspective. ...

Source : cio.com So what's on the list ? .. Threat No. 9: VoIP Clients (1%) Threat No. 8: Web-Based Productivity Applications (2%) Threat No. 7: Digital Cameras (4%) Threat No. 6: Remote Storage (5%) Threat No. 5: Smartphones (7%) Threat No. 4: Social Networks (10%) Threat No. 3: Instant Messaging (11%) Threat No. 2: Consumer E-Mail (18%) Threat No. 1: Portable Storage Devices (43%) Source : CIO.com

Forrester: How To Staff For Social Computing

Interesting point of view by Forrester: Social Computing requires specialist resources. I don't necessarily agree. Look at how far millions of users have comewith all the Web 2.0 solutions out there like Linked-In, MySPace, Facebook, Hyves, etc. etc.

These types of solutions is exactly what users want and need within their organisation as well. Anyone or anything making the introduction / adoption of these tools more complicated, let alone someone who defines policies and rules will limit the adoption. I think we've 'been there done that' with Knowledge Management ...

Don't try to build and run social applications without the right staff. We've identified two key new roles needed for success: 1) the Social Computing strategist, who'll lead the internal charge, and 2) the community manager, an external customer advocate. Working in tandem, these roles will align Social Computing programs with the business and ensure that community members are happy. Management should agree upon goals and then give the team latitude to get the job done —including embracing mistakes as new programs are tested out.

Source: How To Staff For Social Computing
"Jeremiah K. Owyang"
Date Published: Thu, 28 Feb 2008

Forrester: The Web 2.0 Buyer Profile: 2008

According to Forrester, Web 2.0 is not a business priority in 2008. This is very much in line with the audience in our Web 2.0 / Enterprise 2.0 presentation back in november 2007. Almost none of the 80 or so people in our session had actual large scale implementations under way yet ...

In 2008, one in three businesses across North America and Europe is planning to invest in Web 2.0 tools and technologies. This attention will be a boon to vendors selling Web 2.0 technology. However, most buyers will start slow and are interested in just one or two pieces of functionality, such as wikis or RSS (really simple syncidation).

Very few of the businesses planning to adopt Web 2.0 tools see the technology itself as a priority in 2008; instead, most plan to focus on business problems, such as application integration and collaboration platform deployment.

Vendors must commit to smaller deals for the short term, but, to prepare for enriched deals in 2009, align themselves with 2008 IT priorities and clearly articulate to clients how Web 2.0 technologies are solving specific business problems.

Source: The Web 2.0 Buyer Profile: 2008
"G. Oliver Young"
Date Published: Wed, 06 Feb 2008

Ozzie at MIX08

I look forward to this ...

Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie joins Scott Guthrie on stage as a keynote speaker at MIX08 on Wednesday, March 5, 2008.  Ray will discuss Microsoft’s continued investment across the platform to deliver world class Web technologies and tools.  There’s lots of excitement with Silverlight, IE and much much more to share.  But you have to come to MIX08 to get the latest… registration is filling up quickly so reserve your seat today.

Source: MIX Online

Forrester on Enterprise Software adoption and Enterprise 2.0 ..

2 reports by Forrester (you need a subscription).

On Web 2.0 in the Enterprise : "... The market will remain volatile, but Forrester expects midtier software vendors, consultancies and systems integrators, and Microsoft to reap the biggest rewards in the coming year."

The State Of Enterprise Software Adoption: 2007 To 2008

How are enterprises adopting, using, and managing all types of software, including enterprise applications, Web 2.0, open source, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and service-oriented architecture (SOA) — and what do they plan to do with IT budgets in the next 12 months? This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected from 1,017 IT decision-makers across North American and European enterprises via our Business Data Services Enterprise And SMB Software Survey, North America And Europe, Q3 2007. What's hot? Enterprise resource planning (ERP) upgrades, SOA, and Web 2.0.

Top Enterprise Web 2.0 Predictions For 2008

The enterprise Web 2.0 market, which includes the deployment of tools like blogs, wikis, and social networking within the enterprise, was a growing force in enterprise software in 2007. While the market is still quite immature, it will continue to gain importance in 2008 as an increasing number of firms look to enterprise Web 2.0 tools to solve long-standing information worker problems. As a result, Forrester expects to see strong demand growth for tools like enterprise RSS and social networking, an increased role for IT departments in technology acquisition, and steadily growing revenue from current deployments. The market will remain volatile, but Forrester expects midtier software vendors, consultancies and systems integrators, and Microsoft to reap the biggest rewards in the coming year.