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Editor's Notes
Here is hoping that the groundhog signals the end of winter and better weather ahead. Those of you that were lucky enough to make the annual pilgramage to Orlando for LotuSphere probably saw some warmer and sunnier weather.
In the collaboration space, M&A seems to have cooled off a bit (especially) since Q4. Howerver, we do expect to see some announcements of some new and interesting collaboration technologies in February, and also some larger deals that have been in the works will come to fruition and be announced, also in February.
IBM/Lotus made a number of announcements at LotuSphere, this year more than they have ever made before. Their SameTime product which has been somewhat dormant for the last few years is now the "Belle of the Ball"
with IBM announcing agreements to AOL's (AIM) and ICQ. IBM also announced a federation deal with Yahoo! Messenger and planned compatibility with Google Talk.
Columns
This month's Guru's Corner is based on a number of interviews I did over the last month in talking to executives at a variety of collaboration vendors ( Citrix, Green Array, eProject, and PopG) that are successful in selling to SMBs. I asked them what their secret formula was... and they wouldn't tell me, but they did convey some interesting information and best practices.
For the Guest Editorial this month we sent Dave Antila (who runs the Advisory Services practice at CS) out with his roving microphone to interview Alison Murdock, President of IBDNetworks, the company that produces (among others) the "Under the Radar" events, putting technology entrepeneurs, press/analysts and funding sources together. Since IBDN is morphing into a media company, Alison chose to do the Guest Editorial as a podcast, and you can listen to it here.
New Service Offering: Because there are so many start-ups and small vendors in the collaboration space, we have developed a new low-cost, retainer based offering for these vendors that has recieved rave reviews! See the full description below!
The Survey Says...
What do you think was the most significant event in the collaboration space in 2005?
The merger of Adobe and Macromedia? (9.5%) Announcements from Microsoft\'s RTC group about Live Communiations Server, etc. (14.3%) Innovations in RSS and syndication (4.8%) Software as a service starting to predominate in the collaboration space (23.8%) Agile or extreme programming and the fact that many new companies offer innovative collaboration solutions without funding (14.3%).
The interesting thing about these results is the fact that many people feel SAS (Software as a Service) was the most interesting change in the collaboration space in 2005. However, SAS solutions in the collaboration space have been offered for many years (since before the turn of the century), but with the interesting memos at Microsoft in 2005 we believe SAS has been validated by the world's largest software vendor, and is now seen as an advantage, a channel, and a new way to deliver collaborative applications.
CS Service Offerings
We're Expanding our Small Company Service Offering! This is a new offering that we have made available to a select number of small/startup collaboration vendors since the Summer of 2005. Our recent staff expansion has allowed us to expand both the size and scope of this program. Under this retainer agreement, Collaborative Strategies will provide:
- One full day per month (8 hours) of analyst consultation, structured or used at your discretion
- 24-hour response on all requests for information
Analyst Consultation Services may include:
- Analysis and Action
- Intelligent discussion, trends and opinions on industry activity and events
- Webinar development and other demand-generating activities
- Act as fully briefed analyst resource for press contact
Product Feedback on:
- Positioning
- Roadmaps
- Channel, Marketing and Sales Strategies
- Recommendations of products/solutions to our end-user clients
- Rapid market research on specific questions
Introductions to:
- Technology Partners
- Co-Marketing Partners
- Channel and Distribution Partners
- Appropriate end-user organizations
Retainer Clients also receive Discounts on:
- CS reports and publications
- Additional research
- Podcast sponsorships
- CS event sponsorships
- Expanded listing in the RTC directory on the CS web site
These services are delivered at a distance using collaborative technologies! If you prefer on-site delivery, please discuss this option with us directly. Contact: davidc@collaborate.com if you're interested.
Technologies To Watch:
CS analysts are always being briefed on new collaborative products, releases and services. In addition we are working on a directory of collaborative tools/services that will be available on our web site. Once in a while, we see some new or emerging technology that we think is exceptional, either in concept or implementation. We decided to start a list of these vendors and products, and the May, 2003 issue of Inside Collaboration, lists the charter members for the TTW list. Since then we continue to add one or two vendors each month, that show us technology interesting and unique enough to make the list. If you believe your company or software should be on our TTW list, please contact me directly to set up a briefing with one or more of our analysts at: (davidc@collaborate.com).
Events worth mentioning in the Collaborative Sphere -> read more
News and Announcements
Events in the collaboration space that are considered relevent and analyzed by CS Analysts:
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Selling Collaboration to SMBs
You would think SMBs would not need collaborative technologies… after all you can just pop your head into the next office or walk down the hall to talk to your colleague? This may be true for some small businesses especially SOHO (Small Office Home Office), but with the gloabalization of business today it is just as likley that a small business can be as spread out as a large enterprise and require collaboration technologies. [read more]
 Making Deals in a Web 2.0 World
Alison Murdock
For many startups and companies on the way up, finding the next funding round or key executive often consumes as much time as actually running the business. It's all about the network, and we're not
talking IPV6! To make deals in today's market you must cultivate relationships amongst VC's, peers, partners and potential acquirers - in short, you've got to be in the right club. Does such a club exist? We believe it does -- the International Business Development Network (IBDN.) IBDNetwork is a media company at the intersection of business and technology whose conferences, research, and online publications connect investors, executives, press, and tech innovators with first-hand information about leading-edge technologies, emerging trends and markets, and the business opportunities they offer. They create dynamic environments that combine practical knowledge and direct interaction with key industry players. IBdNetwork is committed to getting the facts, dispelling the hype, and making the connections that put new companies, trends, and business models into context.
We recently interviewed Alison Murdock, President of IBDNetwork about a wide range of topics, including collaborative technologies, their planned media company evolution, and why IBDN has been so successful in attracting and retaining their network of VC's, analysts, bloggers, CEO's and senior executives. The interview is excerpted here, for the full interview, please listen to the accompanying podcast . [read more]
Collaborative Strategies makes every effort to bring you timely, accurate information on collaboration and knowledge management. However, we are part of a rapidly evolving market ourselves and events occur during the publication of this newsletter every month that we do not become aware of or that happen post-production. If you know of such events, please contact David Coleman at Davidc@collaborate.com so we can note these key events in the next edition of this newsletter. |
