IBM and SAP Patner on Alloy

According to this article in eWeek, IBM and SAP will soon be releasing Alloy, which is an enterprise collaboration application. The application will allow its users to access SAP Business Suite reports and analytics from IBM’s Lotus Notes 8.5 e-mail client.

This might be just a taste of things to come from these two giants. Kevin Cavanaugh, vice president of messaging and collaboration at IBM Lotus, mentions:

"Metals get stronger when they're mixed to create alloys. Alloy is a better solution, not only because of our two-way cooperation but because of the work of our design partners."

This application is coming to life in March, will you be the first to use it?

Security Patch Issued for Blackberry

RIM (Research in Motion) has released a short term patch to fix critical flaws in Blackberry.

From CNet.com,

Multiple security vulnerabilities exist in the PDF distiller of some released versions of the BlackBerry Attachment Service. These vulnerabilities could enable a malicious individual to send an email message containing a specially crafted PDF file, which when opened for viewing on a Blackberry smartphone, could cause memory corruption and possibly lead to arbitrary code execution on the computer that hosts the BlackBerry Attachment service.

Beware and make sure that you don't download PDF files from untrusted sources on the Blackberry--in fact, wait until you get near a computer to do so. As CNet describes, this security fix will do little to help President-Elect in his quest to keep his Blackberry.

Do you think that this security fix will help? What permanent measures can be implemented to keep the Blackberry safe?

Where's your budget for your enterprise networks?

I found this podcast at eWEEK, they talk with 3com about how to address cost of ownership solutions within the enterprise space. Some great information, take a few minutes to listen to it.

In this eWEEK podcast hosted by Mike Vizard, 3Com President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Sege talks about how to reconcile increasing application dependency on network bandwidth with the need to contain costs in these challenging times.

Microsoft Applications Vs. Google Apps in the Enterprise

A while back, we received a lot of buzz on this post “Microsoft Keeps on Innovating” on our front end of innovation blog. Today I came across this podcast on eWeek in which George Langan, eXpresso CEO, explains why delivering Microsoft productivity applications as a service makes a whole lot more sense in the enterprise when compared to Google applications. The podcast is 15 minutes long. What’s your take on the on-going battle in the enterprise between Microsoft and Google?

Is Google Apps Enterprise Ready?

I came across this post on eWeek this morning which gathers insights from different analysts on the idea that is floating around with the recent infrastructure outages from Google Gmail and Google Apps. Does this mean that Google’s software is not yet dependable for the enterprise?

Melissa Webster, an analyst at IDC, mentions that corporate networks, and email systems have outages all the time. Abner Germanow, another analyst at IDC said that in the beginning companies are not too attached to apps, but as time goes by the level of reliability on the application increases as well. The real question lies: Is the application reliable enough to run a business on it? Can your business afford any downtime in case of outages?

Dana Gardner, founding analyst of InterArbor Solutions claims that organizations go through email outages internally regularly, it is just that users from web based apps have higher expectations than those who pay higher for internalized communication systems.

How has the recent outages of Google Apps affected the enterprise and cloud computing realm?

Enterprise is Moving Towards Cloud Computing

With enterprise organizations moving into cloud computing more frequently, Elastra, a startup company that hosts and runs software entirely on the internet, has decided to jump on this opportunity. This latest article in eWeek discusses how customers can save money by renting the computing power necessary to run applications, instead of purchasing their own hardware and software needed.

Kirill Sheynkman, Elastra's founder and CEO mentions:

"Enterprises are moving into the cloud and understand its financial value, but they need software that lets them deploy and manage applications that meet complex requirements."

This is why Kirill has launched the Elastra Cloud Server which allows customers to deploy applications across the internet by simply pointing and clicking their mouse. The startup is being funded both by Amazon.com and Hummer Winblad Venture Partners for a sum of $12 million. Salesforce.com, Yahoo, and Google are among some companies that already run enterprise applications for other organizations. Could Amazon reign on top with its newest cloud computing project?

Apple to Gain Majority Share in Enterprise?

Last Friday at 8am I saw the line at the AT&T store stretch from one block to another, in light of Apple’s new release the iPhone 3G. This post on ZNet discusses how Apple has moved over 1 million iPhones in a span of 3 days, and that 39% of buyers own PCs. It seems as if the iPhone is making a direct move to overtake enterprise share, since IT remains a Windows world.

With the growing popularity and acceptance of the iPhone in the corporate world, Salesforce.com and Oracle are quick to build CRM and Business Intelligence applications for the iPhone. The iPhone already integrates Microsoft Exchange, calendar, contacts, world-class browsing, and many enterprise applications in its repertoire; what’s next for Apple?

Enterprise 2.0: Where do we stand?

A very common question posed in the business realm, but do we really know the answer? I came across this post on ReadWriteWeb and it summarizes eight attributes that enterprise software champions generally have now. Are we 100% there yet in terms of functionality and collaboration? No, we’re not, but we certainly are getting there. Here’s the list:

1. Software vendors now have monthly subscription fees instead of the dreaded annual contract. This means that the vendor must be good in order for the client to stay subscribed.
2. Adoption is by choice, and it is not set in stone by corporate policies. The software must be beneficial in order for it to get traction.
3. Software is usable within 30 minutes without looking at a manual.
4. SaaS is hosted, vendors don’t have to worry about the different platforms forced by IT department and can instead focus on R&D.
5. Enabling secure communication across firewalls.
6. Compatible with current modules and products.
7. Having beta models, for early experimentation.
8. Fun, relaxed environment.

Adobe Launches New Collaboration Suite

The latest article on Read Write Web highlights Adobe’s latest launch of Acrobat.com, which is an online office suite that includes a word processor, a web conferencing app, an online file sharing system, file storage, and a PDF converter.

Buzzword, the word processing app allows for collaborators to be given different roles depending on their access levels. Employees can be given the role of an editor, reviewer, author, and reader. Users can even comment on articles.

Connect Now, like WebEx or Citrix is a web conferencing tool where live meetings can be done over the web via screen sharing. Participants can be assigned roles throughout the meeting, and those roles can also be easily changed.

Share is a collaboration tool that allows a user to share large files on the online office suite while still maintaining control of the document.

My Files is a document organizer which allows you to search files by author, date created, file type, last updated, and by alphabetical order.

Create PDF allows you to convert existing files to PDF documents. This is a trial version though that only allows you to convert five documents.

The launch of Adobe’s new online office suite is sure to give Google Apps a run of its money. Over time, which will be the enterprise favorite? I have my pick.

Collaboration is Vital in Enterprise Survival

I came across this video on YouTube where Bjoern Brauel, CTO and Vice President of the WebMethods business of Software AG, sheds some light about the importance of adopting Web 2.0 technologies within enterprise organizations.

An idea that seems to come up several times during this 7-minute video is when asked what web 2.0 at the end of the day is all about, Bjoern answers:

“One specific thing comes on top…and it’s Collaboration”

Take a look at this video to see how Web 2.0 software and SOA infrastructure can improve efficiency and help leverage existing skills within an organization.

Google: Aiding in Enterprise Collaboration Once Again

Google recently launched Google Sites, which allowed companies to use this service on their own domains. Now, according to this post on The Official Google Blog, they’ve made it even easier for companies to build websites and share information throughout the enterprise.

Now on Google Sites, organizations can look forward to being able to collaborate on team projects, share information on company intranets, create community groups, forums, updates, and many more things. Companies no longer have to host the service on their domain, they can safely host their website at http://sites.google.com/[your-website]. The best part of all is that it is free!

It will be interesting to see how this will perform against other enterprise applications like Zoho People, which allow human resource departments to keep track of employees through an intranet.

New Collaboration Software for Blackberry

And just when you thought that Blackberry could handle no more web 2.0 apps, there it goes breaking barriers again. This latest article in InformationWeek details this latest announcement, and how WebSphere and Lotus Connections have long wanting to bring business applications to enterprise users on blackberry; it was just a matter of time.

Portals are available through IBM Websphere software, which enables users to build websites. Calendar applications offered through IBM and Domino enable users to effectively collaborate through their smart phones.

William Campbell, the manager for computing services at Standard Life mentions:

"Lotus Software on BlackBerry is critical to our business as it allows Standard Life to enable better collaboration across the world at any time. We have taken the BlackBerry way beyond e-mail, adding a high level of rich functionality resulting in what our employees call 'the laptop in your pocket.'"

These applications are expected to be released later this week. Is this the way of the future for enterprise users?

Could a New Social Software Suite Knock Out Facebook and LinkedIn?

According to this latest article on paidContent.org Jeff Dachis, former CEO of Razorfish, has teamed up with Austin Ventures to roll out a corporate social software service that will be tailored to the enterprise. AV mentions that it will focus on “creating an industry leading strategic consulting practice and an enterprise class Social Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) suite.” But how successful will this SAAS suite be with competition coming from all corners, and a lack of involvement in social software from the enterprise.

This post on A VC, describes how social software include certain characteristics like open API’s, customizable services, and the ability to upload different media. All of these characteristics are an enterprise nightmare. IT departments will have a field day trying to limit access to these sites, for security reasons.

The real benefit from social networking sites is the input gathered from the community, but how will a brand new start-up instantly gain millions of users? How will this new venture compete with LinkedIn and Xing since they already have a majority of the enterprise social networking market, and let’s not forget that Facebook is slowly closing in with enterprise tailored apps and restrictions. AV and Dachis will have to bring about new innovative concept within enterprise networking to really stray away people from Facebook and LinkedIn. Can they do it? We’ll have to wait and see.

Affordable CRM Application are in the Air

Zoho is at it again! Recently we posted about their latest launch of Zoho People, which helped Human Resource department keep track of all their employees within a secure intranet. So what has Zoho been up to at their labs since the launch of Zoho People?

They’ve launched Zoho CRM – Enterprise Edition. We all know that Zoho CRM’s direct competition is Salesforce.com, but this latest edition claims to be over eight times less expensive than the Salesforce version. Here are some enhancements to Zoho CRM that the Zoho blog mention:

• Introduction of Role-based Security Administration
• Enhancements in product Customiation & Data Administration
• Multi-language Support (11 Languages)
• SSL Support for Professional & Enterprise Versions
• Integration with Zoho Sheet

The most interesting capability in my opinion is the introduction of Role-based Security Administration. This application makes it easier to manage access of employees within organizations with multiple levels. Employees can be classified into different groups and profiles, which can keep managerial documentation away from those who should not have access to such information.

I expect Salesforce.com to come up with a follow-up version of their own application soon, since Zoho has launched a similar app. with all the same features, but at a fraction of the cost.

Deployment of Enterprise Apps Shouldn’t be the end to IT’s Involvement

Lori Wizdo, Vice President of Marketing for Knoa Software recently recorded this podcast in eWeek and her main point is that after companies roll out enterprise applications, IT departments generally tend to lose focus on managing applications. Application management is vital in the enterprise to make sure that web applications are not only performing well, but that it is being reflected on end users within organizations. Currently techniques that measure end-user experience in enterprise architecture are not up-to-date and do not provide the best feedback.

Monitoring back end performance for applications is a necessity, and IT departments will have to update its technology to make sure that apps are doing what it is supposed to. Listen to this podcast to listen to the full conversation…