Shared Spaces ... the Collaboration Advisor

Quick Links, Mar 28

Positions

• IBM on the Future of Work ... 17 minute podcast from IBM on the future of work. "As work evolves, companies and employees will have to deal with the blurring of traditional boundaries between work and family life, between offices and remote locations, between manager and employee, and between nationalities and cultures in the global economy." IBM


• Steve on Folder Sync ... Steve has been experimenting with various folder synchronization tools, and has currently settled on Allway Sync as the ideal offering. Steve Richards

Vendor Moves

• Norada Solve360 Supports Safari ... Norada Corporation introduced Apple Safari support in its hosted Web offering for communication and collaboration. All of the tools in Solve360's collaborative offering work just as well in Safari as in Windows. Solve360


• Stellent Universal Records Management ... Stellent launched Stellent Universal Records Management, an enterprise application that consistently applies record and retention policies across multiple content stores, including SharePoint. It is DoD 5015.2 and .4 compliant. BusinessWire


• WebMessenger Mobile IM for Windows Mobile 5.0 ... WebMessenger released Version 2.5 of Mobile Instant Messenger for Windows Mobile 5.0-based devices, a wireless IM client. Provides multi-network access to AOL, GoogleTalk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN Messenger and Yahoo. Available immediately. BusinessWire

Quick Links, Mar 27

Positions

• US Army Portal for Collaboration ... Line56 published an update on the US Army's use of portal technology for collaboration and information sharing. Line56

Vendor Moves

• SiteScape Adoption ... SiteScape announced that the State Capitals Organized to Protect America, a network of state and local public officials, have embraced WebWorkZone, the hosted edition of SiteScape. Enables secure sharing of documents, threaded discussions, workflows and group calendars. SiteScape (PDF, 2 pages)


• Ezenia InfoWorkSpace 3.0 ... Ezenia released Version 3.0 of InfoWorkSpace, its collaboration suite that is heavily used within the military. New features: XMPP support for federated instant messaging, enhanced scalability and security, user interface revisions, and new platform support, among others. Available April. Ezenia!


• Foldera to Launch April 15 ... Foldera announced that it will launch Activity Folders, its forthcoming Web-communications application suite, on April 15. Support for some offline capabilities are under development. Messaging Pipeline


• Enomaly Support for Alfresco ... Enomaly, a consulting firm with a specialization in making open source technologies work for businesses, announced that it is offering support and consulting services for the open source Alfresco enterprise content management platform. LinuxPR


• Optus Wireless Email via Exchange 2003 ... Optus announced that it will add Exchange 2003 SP2-based wireless email to Windows Mobile 5.0-based devices from April. Optus already has a BlackBerry service on offer. ZDNet

Other Industry Happenings

• Open Group Workshop on Federated Free/Busy ... The Open Group Messaging Forum and the Calendaring and Scheduling Consortium are co-sponsoring a workshop to examine options for federated free/busy. It's being held on April 25 in Washington DC. Open Group


• CalConnect Roundtable VI ... The Calendaring & Scheduling Consortium is hosting its next "roundtable" (for interoperability testing and committee meetings) on May 23-25, in Cambridge MA. CalConnect

Quick Links, Mar 24

Positions

• Value in Office 2007 ... Bob says Office 2007 will deliver value in two areas: (1) collaborative capabilities via SharePoint, and (b) business intelligence for the masses. IT-Director


• IBM Workplace Collaboration Services ... Bob describes IBM Workplace Collaboration Services, outlining the functionality delivered over multiple layers. Key ideas: (1) it is based on J2EE, a vendor-neutral platform; (2) there are correct and good ways of integrating Lotus Domino with WCS, such as for Web applications that have high activity loads; and (3) WebSphere Portal delivers user interface aggregation, bringing together many applications in a single coherent window. IBM DeveloperWorks


• Gates on Office and SharePoint ... Bill Gates talks about coming changes in Office 2007 and SharePoint 2007, and the reasons behind those changes. InformationWeek (4 pages), CRN


• More Microsoft Application Analyzer Woes ... In determining the frequency of access to a Notes database, Microsoft's 2006 edition of its Application Analyzer uses the "LastAccessed" property on a Notes database, a parameter that is turned off by default. Duffbert

Vendor Moves

• Xerox DocuShare CPX and 5.0 ... Xerox Corporation released two new versions of its DocuShare content management system offering: CPX and 5.0. DocuShare CPX is for large enterprises and public sector organizations, and offers content management, workflow routing, Web conferencing (via WebEx, see press release), blog and wiki capabilities, records management, and more. DocuShare 5.0, for the SMB market, adds automatic deployment capabilities to streamline setup and rollout. Available in English in April 2006. BusinessWire


• ajaxWrite ... Michael Robertson launched ajaxWrite, a Microsoft Word-compatible browser-based word processing Web service. Enables users to create Word documents on Windows, Mac and Linux computers, at no cost; requires Firefox 1.5 or later. Available immediately in beta. Michael Robertson


• Novell Platform for the Open Enterprise ... Novell launched its 'Platform for the Open Enterprise', an architecture of software and services from Novell and others for enterprises. Elements in the platform: operating system (SUSE Linux Enterprise 10), network management tools, wireless email for GroupWise (via Intellisync or RIM), workgroup productivity tools (via the Open Workgroup Suite), partnerships with other open source vendors (such as Alfresco for content management), and more. Novell, with coverage at ComputerWorld


• Yahoo IM with Voice ... Yahoo introduced the beta of its Yahoo Messenger with voice over IP capabilities, similar in intent to Skype. Gives users a US phone number in a city of their choice for US$2.99 per month, with domestic calls charged at $0.02 per minute. TechNewsWorld


• EMC and CDG ... Continental DataGraphics (CDG), a subsidiary of Boeing, and EMC Corporation announced a value-added reseller agreement, whereby CDG will offer the EMC Documentum content management platform to its customers. CDG currently offers digital imaging and information management services to customers. ECM Connection


• Open-Xchange Virtual Appliance ... Open-Xchange announced VMware-ready delivery of its Open-Xchange Server 0.8 collaboration platform, for testing and evaluation purposes. Aim is to help customers to quickly try out its offering. Open-Xchange

Quick Links, Mar 23

Positions

• GTD in Meetings ... Dave shares good thoughts and good visuals on how to use GTD in a meeting context. Dave Pollard


• Web 2.0: Real or Hype? ... George from Norada shares some thoughts and perspectives on "Web 2.0". The six questions for small businesses will help to "filter out a lot of the noise". Norada

Vendor Moves

• Palm 3Q2006 ... Palm reported revenues of $388.5 million for 3Q2006, a 36% gain from a year ago. Net income was $29.9 million. It sold a good number of Treo devices during the period. Palm, CNN Money


• Intellext Integration with Microsoft ... Intellext integrated Watson, its automagic content search and delivery tool, with Microsoft SharePoint. Means that users will automatically receive the latest relevant information from SharePoint sites to their desktop. EContent, and Product Information



• Novell GroupWise Mobile ... Novell announced Novell GroupWise Mobile Server, a wireless email server for Novell GroupWise powered by Intellisync's technology. Works with Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, and BlackBerry devices. Currently in beta testing. Available shortly. In other news, RIM BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1 offers enhanced support for BlackBerry users against Novell GroupWise. Novell, VNUnet

Other Industry Happenings

• Case Studies from Notes/Domino Customers ... Here's a good collection of case studies about how organizations are using Notes and Domino for business success. Many include a healthy focus on Notes and Domino applications. IBM

Quick Links, Mar 22

Positions

• Deb on Microsoft ... Microsoft is the elephant in the boardroom when it comes to decisions about collaboration technology strategy decisions by competitors. CollaborationLoop


• Handling it all ... Fortune talks to a number of highly accomplished individuals about how they handle their work. CNN


• Smarter to Embrace IM ... Some firms are finding instant messaging a boon to communication, whereas others are not. The biggest IM risks at the moment are IM-borne virus threats and lost privacy due to a lack of encryption. SearchMobileComputing


• On RIM's Strategy ... Ellen Daley, a Forrester analyst, met with RIM last week, and returned impressed with its focus on superior technology and usability. RIM customers agree: "RIM has the best technology; no one comes close". Key go-forward question: how can RIM extend its wireless email nous to wirelessly-enabling other line-of-business applications? Unstrung

Vendor Moves

• Mindjet White Paper ... Mindjet released a White Paper on how to use MindManager to enhance productivity when using Microsoft Office. Key idea: use a MindManager map as the hub for individual and team projects. Mindjet (PDF, 15 pages)


• IBM Workplace Services Express 2.6 ... IBM announced Version 2.6 of Workplace Services Express, a collaborative environment that offers portal, team collaboration and document management capabilities. Offers an updated developer tool, a bundled license for DB2, and new portlet support for Exchange 2003, among others. Available April 2006. MarketWire


• Scalix Embraces Novell ... Scalix announced certified interoperability between its Linux-based enterprise email platform and various items from Novell, including Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, Novell eDirectory, and the Novell Evolution desktop user client. Scalix is hoping that Novell users will embrace its Linux-based email platform rather than use something from Novell. Scalix


• NewsGator on Sync Strategy ... NewsGator announced its synchronization strategy, indicating that its suite of RSS aggregators will synchronize with Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7. Includes cross-platform synchronization of feeds and items between Windows (NewsGator Windows) and Mac (NewsGator NetNewsWire). NewsGator

Quick Links, Mar 20

Top News
Windows Mobile is Still Not Ready for Corporate Adoption

With everything that Microsoft says about Windows Mobile-based devices, one would think they are perfect. I purchased my first iPAQ in early 2002; it was powered by Pocket PC 2002, and the device was less than satisfactory--poor battery life, frequent hanging, unresponsiveness, etc. I couldn't rely on it for day-to-day business, so used a Palm Tungsten. In 2003, with the release of a new generation of iPAQs based on Pocket PC 2003 (or was it Windows Mobile 2003?), I outlaid the money again for a new device. It too suffered from the same problems. 2004 came and went without something new that looked sufficiently okay, as did 2005. But last month, I decided to see how much truth and reality there was in Windows Mobile 5.0-based devices, and purchased an iPAQ hx2495. Based on using it intensively for one month, as a way of tracking action points, managing my calendar, writing in Word Mobile when out-and-about, I give it the thumbs down.

When the device works, it is great. The problem is that all too often, it doesn't work.

• No Response When Pushing "On" or the Task Keys. Frequently the device won't even turn on when I push the power button or one of the task keys. There is definitely battery life left, but the device is unresponsive. This means that I can never assume that I'll be able to get access to my tasks and calendar when out-and-about; I can't trust it. A soft reboot usually solves the problem, but I shouldn't have to do this.


• The Screen Doesn't Redraw Properly. I find that the screen often does not display what it should show. I notice this especially with the default Today screen, that icons are missing, options do not display, and snippets of earlier windows remain when they should have been cleared off. Pushing a collection of keys sometimes solves the problems, but more often than not, a soft reboot is required. This is not good enough.


• Word Mobile Won't Save Documents, Claiming Lack of Memory. After taking notes on a seminar using Word Mobile, I have frequently experienced that Word Mobile won't save the document, claiming a lack of memory / storage space. This is the case even though I have a 1 GB storage card inserted into the device at all times, which has over 970 MB of space available. The only alternative is to discard what you have written. I can't trust this thing

So after one month of usage, I can't trust that it will turn on, I can't trust that it will properly show what I want on the screen, and I can't trust that it will save my work. Not a good start.

It is extremely vexatious that Microsoft and HP can't get this right after so many attempts. I strongly recommend avoiding Windows Mobile based devices for use on enterprise applications, such as wireless email. It just isn't reliable enough; don't waste your money.

I want a BlackBerry.

P.S. Perhaps the device I received is faulty. If Microsoft and/or HP want to put things right, send me another one.

Vendor Moves

• Idokorro Mobile Desktop ... Idokorro Mobile released Version 1.0 of Mobile Desktop, a VNC client for BlackBerry wireless handhelds. Enables a BlackBerry user to connect to a remote computer from a BlackBerry, and view the screen and if needed control the keyboard. Supports many desktop and computing platforms. Available immediately. A Mobile FTP client is also available for the BlackBerry. 24x7 Press Release

Other Industry Happenings

• Brief Review of Qnext ... PC Authority offers a brief review of Qnext, a file sharing plus instant chat client for Linux and Mac OS X platforms. PCAuthority


• UK Times on Social Network Analysis ... The UK Times talks about social network analysis, and profiles the use of Morphix MetaSight for tracking social networks via analysis of email patterns and flows. Times Online

Quick Links, Mar 17

Vendor Moves

• Consilient Push ... Consilient unveiled Consilient Push, a push-based wireless email platform that works with consumer cell phones and wireless PDAs. The technology is based on the P-IMAP standards work, and works with Microsoft Exchange, IMAP4 servers, and others. Pricing is $3-$5 per user per month. Consilient


• CA and Oracle ... CA announced that CA Message Manager, its email archiving and management solution, works with Oracle Collaboration Suie 10g. Supports compliance, litigation, and corporate governance requirements. Byte and Switch


• New Customers for Antepo ... Antepo, a provider of enterprise IM and presence technology, announced two new customers: Valtech (a global business and technology consulting solutions provider) and Fidelity Borrowing (a financial services provider).


• MindManager and WebEx ... Mindjet released a free add-in for MindManager 6.0, enabling users to launch a WebEx Meeting Center meeting from a MindManager map. Users can invite others to view the map, and due to the application sharing capabilities of WebEx, pass editing control to others. Available immediately. Mindjet Blog

Quick Links, Mar 16

Top News
IBM Needs to Get the Gloves Off
Paul Mooney explains how Microsoft is using its Application Analyzer for Notes to apparently fabricate results to make it appear easier than it actually is to replace Notes applications with Microsoft powered ones. There's a good discussion on Paul's blog, and also on Ed's blog about some of the things that IBM could be doing in response.

I've defended Notes before on this site from a technical perspective, and I've slammed Microsoft before on this site for its lack of a coherent and decent collaboration strategy. My reaction today is this: it's a competitive market, and Microsoft is fighting hard to increase its market share. Good on them. If IBM doesn't like it, then it needs to get more aggressive. Being blatantly dishonest about where Notes applications fits into the quadrant of migration difficulty isn't the best example of business ethics, but for IBM to stand on the sideline and yell "boo" is hardly going to be enough.

If IBM wants to (a) protect its installed base of Notes and Domino customers, and (b) increase its market share when faced with the onslaught of Microsoft, then where are the IBM initiatives that do these things:

• Help Exchange shops migrate from Public Folders to Notes/Domino. I've never heard of such a tool from IBM, although that doesn't mean there isn't one, but where is the tool to analyze a set of Exchange Public Folders and give guidance on how to migrate the functionality across to Notes/Domino?


• Enable SharePoint sites to migrate to Notes/Domino. Where's the "IBM Application Analyzer for Microsoft SharePoint for 2006"? Is IBM actively going after this market ... actively seeking to build on the education and awareness that Microsoft is doing in the market for SharePoint, or has it given up?


• Is Quickplace good enough and flexible enough to take on SharePoint? I've only spoken with one customer in the last year that raved about Quickplace ... all the others think it is merely ho-hum. Why hasn't IBM made this a knock-out?


• Where are the sites that see Notes as a strategic platform going forward? Yes, Notes/Domino helped define the market. Yes, Microsoft lacked a set of tools to compete. Yes, Notes/Domino has been very successful in days gone by, but ... going forward, where are the large and strategically significant organizations that (a) are committed to Notes/Domino for building out collaborative applications, (b) are willing to talk publicly about it like HP and Honeywell did recently for Microsoft on SharePoint, and (c) openly scoff at the idea of Microsoft having a decent line up of tools like many Microsoft shops do towards Notes/Domino.


• Who are the wildly successful Notes/Domino business partners ... and what are they doing to make life easier for their customers? Why is it so easy for small IT consulting businesses to sign up with Microsoft for its partner program (low cost, lots of support materials and applications, lots of seminars and training), but a whole lot more difficult, expensive, restrictive and bureaucratic to sign-up for IBM? Also, where's the biggest opportunity going forward for business partners today? Is it to be aligned with Microsoft for Office System 2007, or it is to be aligned with IBM for Notes/Domino/Workplace? I think Microsoft is eating IBM's lunch in this one.

In my opinion, from what I notice in the market, I think Microsoft is doing more, across a wide range of delivery points, to deliver value to the business decision maker that what IBM is doing. C'mon IBM ... you've said that you have yellow gloves and you're willing to take the gloves off, but ... I don't see you doing it yet.

Positions

• A RIM Strategy? ... Dan Taylor at the Mobile Enterprise Alliance is despairing over Research In Motion, and questions today whether they have a corporate strategy for moving forward. In essence: forget the NTP patent stuff, and tell us what you are going to do for me tomorrow. MEA Blog

Vendor Moves

• Let'sPowwow Premium ... Yugma released Let'sPowwow Premium, an online meeting and conferencing service for up to 250 participants. Includes a secure 100 MB document library, and supports recording and playback of sessions. The Premium edition costs $50 per month for up to 20 attendees, and uses a graduated price scale from there. PRWeb


• Texas Department of Information Resources and IBM ... The Texas Department of Information Resources and IBM signed an agreement for the delivery of enterprise email to 65,000 seats across 13 state government agencies in Texas. Other optional services include instant messaging, virtual team workspaces, document management, wireless email, and more. MarketWire

Quick Links, Mar 15

Positions

• Russell on Rethinking Email ... Russell is thinking through what he likes about email (it's a blank slate), what he dislikes (it's a blank slate), and what to do about it. Russell Beattie Notebook


• GCN Reviews Office 2007 ... GCN reviews the forthcoming edition of Microsoft Office 2007, and likes what it sees, describing it as "a new version that is an improvement on every level". GCN

Vendor Moves

• AOL Opens AIM to Developers ... AOL released the AIM Software Development Kit to enable third-party developers to build plug-ins and custom capabilities for its AOL Instant Messaging service. TechNewsWorld


• NewsGator Mobile Applications ... NewsGator released new RSS aggregators for Windows Mobile and J2ME-enabled devices. Syncs with NewsGator Online to give users a consistent and complete collection of RSS feeds from any device. There is also a podcast client for Windows Mobile. NewsGator


• Cisco on Video Collaboration ... Cisco will invest during 2006-2007 in improving interpersonal collaboration by weaving video conferencing capabilities into enterprise voice, email and IM applications. CRN

Quick Links, Mar 11

Top News
Microsoft Establishing LCS with Partners
Microsoft was late to the enterprise instant messaging game, but now that it has committed itself to a separate server play, it continues to position its Office Live Communications Server for long-term success, this time through expanded relationships with voice players. As Microsoft enfolds more and more partners in the LCS ecosystem, it (a) becomes progressively more difficult for the customer to migrate to something else, because they lose the interdependencies, and (b) new entrant or competing vendors find that the list of tick boxes required to play the game continues to get longer. Microsoft's ability to hold together a coalition of vendors in pursuit of delivering to an overall value proposition definitely makes it more difficult for smaller and niche players.

In partnership with Avaya, customers with both Avaya MultiVantage Communications Applications and Microsoft Office Communicator will be able to:

• Use the Microsoft Office Communicator client to dial Avaya telephony endpoints


• Use Microsoft Office Communicator to view the Avaya phone status and presence availability of others


• Use Microsoft Office Communicator to initiate or answer phone calls, and then use the PC or an Avaya desk phone to conduct the call

Microsoft and Avaya plan to deliver the first of their joint offerings in 4Q2006.

In partnership with Cisco Systems, customers with both the Cisco Unified Communications system and Microsoft LCS and Office Communicator will be able to accomplish similar tasks as with the Avaya integration. In addition, users will be able to transparently escalate from an Office Communicator IM session to a Cisco-powered voice session. The joint offering is expected in August 2006.

Positions

• Beyond Calendar 1.0 ... Ross Dargahi, Co-Founder and VP of Engineering at Zimbra, talks about requirements and needs for future calendaring systems, and the role of a service-oriented architecture and open standards in delivering an integrated and intelligent calendaring environment. It's a 3 minute video. ZDNet


• Choosing a Mobile Email System ... In four easy steps: (1) look for compatibility with the corporate email system, (2) look for compatibility with handsets in use at the company, (3) ensure that the mobile networks you use provide the required data services, and (4) compare features delivered with upfront and ongoing costs. VNUnet


• Steve on Microsoft's Collaboration Strategy ... Steve reflects on his outstanding concerns with Microsoft's collaboration strategy. Steve Richards

New Blogs

• TimeBridge is Coming ... In an email to registered beta users, Yori Nelken said that TimeBridge's forthcoming meeting scheduling service will be available for beta testing in 4-6 weeks. The TimeBridge team have recently started a company blog. TimeBridge (home page; sign up for the beta program)


• Foldera Company Blog ... Speaking of company blogs, Foldera is blogging too. The blog is currently in beta, and the initial post seems to have gone astray. I hope it returns shortly ... Foldera


• Colligo Blog on Offlining SharePoint ... The team at Colligo Networks are running a blog on offlining SharePoint, in order to examine and explore the requirements users have in this area. Offline SharePoint

Vendor Moves

• RIM Released BES 4.1 ... RIM released Version 4.1 of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, as well as a Small Business Edition thereof. New features: single interface for managing multiple BES servers, group-based administration, enterprise instant messaging integration, and audit logs for PIN and SMS messaging, among others. Available immediately. RIM


• Google Acquired Writely ... Google acquired Writely, a start-up offering a Web-based collaborative word processor. GoogleBlog, with coverage at ZDNet, Motley Fool, and PCWorld

Other Industry Happenings

• Virtual Teams Research ... One UK and two German-based Universities are collaborating on a research project focused on virtual teams. From vt-research.com: "The interest of the research project is to explore the notion of virtual teams as a new phenomenon within today's working environments. Special interests of the research include the interrelations between the managerial perspective of virtual teams and the effects of "teaming in the virtual" on the involved individuals within specific team configurations in the virtual". There is an online survey up for people interested in the area. Virtual Teamwork Survey