Groupware Meets Social Networks

Bringing together collaboration software and the isolated islands of social networks

Jul. 30, 2009 11:45 AM

So here it is. Finally. Our very first social media collaboration solution.

Why should you care?

Because it is your data that is hidden online in SaaS. Because it is your data that resides with all those social networks you are a part of. Because it is different systems you use for different contexts in your life. And because the social features in Open-Xchange allow you to get control, and your data back.

The Internet is too much to consume for any individual. So it is sheer luck, and professional help from the (online) press that gets you your daily potion of information. The success of Twitter proves that social filters and network effects for interesting information are valuable additions. But it is still you, the consumer, who has to sift through everything. And collect everything. And then lose track of everything you heard. Sure, the more structured individuals among us dutifully collect all our links. Maybe even online at sites like del.icio.us.

But how many times have you missed that opportunity?

Browsing your communications history with somebody, collecting all the relevant information concerning a specific project or a specific deal, gathering all the details of your contacts from LinkedIn, your inbox, Xing, Facebook etc. would be incredibly useful, right?

That's what we have in mind.

Comscore says that two-thirds of all Internet users frequented social network sites in May of this year -- two-thirds!

Support for all these people is what we have in mind when we now launch a product version with the first step towards social capabilities. We have support for addresses and contact details so far, but already the possibilities are endless. One part of the story is collecting data from social sites, and propagating contact details between systems automatically, including mobile phones. Another important part are the dynamics between the people invoved. All of a sudden is it possible to figure out who in your organisation knows who in the company you want to do business with. Because the data you are dealing with gains structure. And your organization starts to learn.

Try it at http://ox.io, discuss it at http://www.open-xchange.com/forum.

Published Jul. 30, 2009— Reads 1,100
Copyright © 2009 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
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About Juergen Geck
Juergen Geck is CTO of Open-Xchange. Responsible for continued development and communication of the company’s technology strategies, he brings a distinguished background in open source and technology management. Before he joined Open-Xchange, Geck spent 10 years with Suse Linux as VP technology partners and CTO. He built strong alliances with AMD, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Oracle and SAP. As CTO, he was instrumental in designing Suse's flagship product, Suse Linux Enterprise Server and its maintenance model, enabling the first enterprise Linux offering in the market. He is also one of the founders of Eclipse.org. Geck holds a Masters degree in production engineering from the University of Erlangen, Germany.

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