IBM aims to take social networking to businesses

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 20 June 2007 18:22

Business IT - Technology

IBM has jumped on the Web 2.0 social networking bandwagon with the release of a suite of products it describes as social software for business.

The new Lotus Connections suite features five Web 2.0-based software components - activities, communities, bookmarking, profiles and blogs. The suite aims to help business users to tap into the enterprise knowledge base, performing tasks like finding subject matter experts in profiles, create and join like-minded communities, and exchange ideas and resources through blogging and shared bookmarks.

While consumers have taken to the social applications of Web 2.0 like bees to a honeypot, business has been slow to adopt social networking as a tool which can be applied to the workplace. However, according to IBM and its partners, this is starting to change.

"Our customers are telling us that their users are already using consumer social networking products outside of official corporate portals," said Evan Herbst, managing director, Gemini Systems. "Now, with Lotus Connections we can offer a business-ready solution that adds new social software functionality to existing and new portals for intranets, extranets and internet sites."

Lotus Connections is available for purchase at a list price of US$110 per user for the full suite and US$55 per user for the profiles or activities component.