Announcing the latest IBM Connections Mail Plug-In

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Today, IBM Connections Mail gets an update. If you don't know what IBM Connections Mail, let's catch you up.  IBM Connections Mail provides a simple and compelling way to perform essential email and calendaring tasks right from IBM Connections.

This is particularly useful as you can process your inbox with minimal context switching.  According to McKinsey, when users switch from one task to another, it really affects productivity.

Therefore, by keeping context switching to a minimum, you increase productivity in your organization.  Additionally, sending attachments is a snap as they are sent as links via IBM Connections (a feature that our competitors have copied).

Of course, with the IBM Connections 5.0 release less than a month ago this new version of IBM Connections Mail now fully supports IBM Connections 5.0.  Here's the other new capabilities:

• Accept/Decline calendar invites
• Save messages as draft
• Adds support for Domino encrypted mail
• Adds direct access to the Microsoft Outlook Web App
• Adds support for Microsoft Exchange 2013

Here's a screenshot of the save as draft and accept/decline screens:

Here's a demo that was recorded when this originally shipped. 

Go get it from our catalog using this direct link!

Social Connections: My Take on Making Social Business Critical [Video]

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Last month, I attended the IBM Connections User Group meeting in Prague.  Speaking of which, if you missed it, then don't worry! Social Connections VII has been announced and it's happening in November 13-14 in Stockholm.  Registration is available now so go and register now. Hey, you can probably even combine it with a weekend ski trip.

Now back to Prague. While I was there, I met with the local team to discuss social business and my recommendations on how to make social business critical.  For example, as a business, you don't want to deploy a social collaboration platform, such as the market leading IBM Connections product, just for the sake of social. You must have a purpose and I provide a strategy that can help you drive the engagement in the platform.

Other topics covered:

• How my work has benefitted by taking advantage of social
• My personal take aways
• What I would like to see in the next 5 years

Here's the 3 minute interview:

What do you think ? Hey, and if you haven't noticed, you can go and check out IBM Connections 5.0 in Greenhouse today!

Jabborate Brings Jabber and WebEx into IBM Connections

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This is one of those cases were timing couldn't have been better.  Just a few days ago someone was asking me about the possibility to integrate Cisco's Jabber and WebEx with the market leading social collaboration platform IBM Connections.

Anyway, then as I was catching up with my feeds I ran into a new presentation from Jabborate.  Don't you just love it when knowledge comes to you instead of you having to go out and search for it?

So here's the deal.  There are 3 types of integration into IBM Connections provided by Jabborate:

• Jabborate - Adds presence, instant messaging, audio and video calls to IBM Connections via Cisco's Jabber
• Jabborate WebEx - Adds virtual meetings and conference call management to IBM Connections via Cisco's WebEx
• Jabborate Exchange - Adds a calendar and scheduling app to integrate IBM Connections with Microsoft Exchange 

Here's a deck that describes in more detail what's possible:

Jabber integration with IBM Connections from Jabborate

For more information, check out Jabborate for IBM Connections. 

Press Coverage on the IBM Connections 5.0 Release

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If you've been out for a while, it's time to catch up.

First, take a look at our new Social page at IBM.com:  http://ibm.com/social . It got a makeover last week to find the right solution based on your needs

Additionally, I've been collecting news clippings about the stories and coverage so far on the IBM Connections 5.0 release.  I haven't captured everything but here's some highlights for you to check out. Maybe there's some that you haven't seen so you can use these to share within your organization as well.

In the press:

• CMSWire: IBM Social Software Update Features File Sync On Premises - http://bit.ly/1pJNtjY
• CIOReview: IBM's New Cloud and on Premises Social Software - http://bit.ly/1qO3MMb
• CloudPro: IBM's Connections enterprise social software bags hybrid cloud upgrade - http://bit.ly/VzfAVt
• Communication As A Service (TMCNet): IBM's Cloud, On-Premises Social Software - http://bit.ly/TNIkbB
• CruxialCIO: IBM Boosts Enterprise Collaboration With Connections 5 - http://bit.ly/1kia5jk
• FierceEnterpriseCommunications: IBM's move toward 'Connections' with hybrid - http://bit.ly/1jgyR91
• InfoTechLead: IBM Connections 5 features social, analytics and content tools - http://bit.ly/1mKu5uW
• iStreetWire: IBM Rises on Unusual Volume - http://bit.ly/1jKF9Z7
• IT Business Edge: IBM Takes Social Networking to Higher Enterprise Level - http://bit.ly/1pX2PNz
• ITProPortal: IBM releases Connections 5 to revolutionize social collaboration - http://bit.ly/1vAXWvg
• KMWorld: Collaboration broadens with IBM Connections 5 - http://bit.ly/TNHMCr
• MegaSuperb: IBM upgrades Connections to incorporate hybrid deployments - http://bit.ly/1vBjCrf
• Motley Fool: IBM Keeps Rising - http://bit.ly/1iY4Ha1
• TechRadar.Computing: IBM upgrades Connections for hybrid environment - http://bit.ly/1kibuXf
• TechTimes: IBM pushes out cloud, social software to boost collaboration, http://bit.ly/1rYq3En
• ToolBox.com: Is IBM Connections 5 the Cat's Meow or a Microsoft Copycat? - http://bit.ly/1mUwhVu
• Software Magazine: Organizations look to IBM for next-generation business capabilities - http://bit.ly/1r7uQTd 
• Top Tech News: IBM Launches Cloud-Based Big Data Service - http://bit.ly/1z8lWus
• V3: IBM unveils Connections 5 collaboration tool for the cloud - http://bit.ly/1iZNMV3
• ZDNet: IBM releases Connections 5 social software - http://zd.net/1pWQAk7
• Silicon.de: IBMs Enterprise Collaboration Connections 5 ab sofort verfügbar - http://bit.ly/1mANF2K
• Forbes: Build Bridges Beyond Your Corporate Collaboration Island - http://www.forbes.com/sites/rawnshah/2014/07/08/build-bridges-beyond-your-corporate-collaboration-island/
• CrazyJoys: Active Stocks: IBM, Yahoo - http://www.crazyjoys.com/active-stocks-international-business-machines-nyseibm-rediff-com-india-nasdaqredf-berkshire-hathaway-nysebrk-national-bank-greecenysenbg-yahoo-nasdaqyhoo,201414788
• OnlySoftware: IBM Connections Gets Business Social Makeover - http://onlysoftwareblog.com/2014/07/ibm-connections-gets-business-social-makeover/

Finally, last week Suzanne Livingston posted a new video showcasing the new external collaboration features of IBM Connections 5.0. Check it out:

IBM Connections is Now Available in the IBM Cloud marketplace

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As just communicated in the press release a few minutes ago, IBM Connections is now available in the IBM Cloud marketplace.  Here's the direct link in case you want to check it out.

The press release sums up the latest release of IBM Connections which is now available for download (in case you want to run it on premises) or in the cloud.

One of the highlights that we want to call out is the continued growth that we see in our ecosystem. For example, using our latest APIs and SDK, ISVs (independent software vendors) such as HootSuite, Bunchball, TemboSocial, ISW, among many, many others have created social apps on the IBM Connections Platform.

A key aspect of this release is secure external collaboration, where you can bring in external users (your customers, partners, suppliers, etc) into your IBM Connections deployment behind the firewall and still keep the right security boundaries to keep information safe. Jeff Schick, our VP for Social Software at IBM, calls out the importance of this:

When a workforce is out of synch or out of touch, the whole organization suffers from lost productivity, efficiency and innovation. With the open nature of today's business environment, organizations are looking to build new systems of people-centric engagement. The ability to bring key internal and external stakeholders into the conversation can facilitate a more collaborative, responsive and authentic way to work and deepen engagement.

Additionally, Superior Group's CIO, Tom DeClerck shares how IBM Connections has made the organization more agile by putting people back at the center of their business.  Speaking of Superior Group, here's a quick video that talks about the Superior Group's success on becoming a social business and the ROI they are achieving by using IBM Connections:



For more information, check out the entire press release.

IBM Ranked as Leader in the 2014 Aragon Research Globe for Enterprise Social Software

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And the great news keep piling up on the heels of the IBM Connections 5.0 rollout.

The latest to hit the wire is that IBM Connections has been ranked as a Leader in the Aragon Research Globe for Enterprise Social Software.  This is in addition to the Forrester Wave report where IBM came out as a leader in the Enterprise Social Software Wave a couple of weeks back and the news that IBM Connections continues to be the market leader in enterprise social software !

According to their announcement, the report evaluates 20 social collaboration vendors against 3 dimensions: Strategy, Performance, and Reach. Based on the evaluation of each vendor, each vendor is placed in 1 of 4 spheres: Leader, Innovator, Specialist or Contender. Again, IBM was ranked as a Leader.

Aragon called out the purposeful use of social as one of the differentiators of the IBM Connections platform:

IBM is leveraging Connections across its software portfolio, including its social HCM (Kenexa) product line

Aragon delivers high impact research and advisory services to provide enterprises the insight they need to help them make better technology and strategy decisions.

A great example of a customer reaping the benefits of becoming a social business with IBM Connections is CEMEX who has actually measured the ROI of their Social Business journey with IBM Connections.  They shared an update of their recent success stories a few weeks back:



If you want to read the report, you can get it from Aragon here.