We recently updated our review of IBM’s social computing platform, "Connections" now at version 3.0.1. (Subscribers can download the new evaluation here.)
There’s a longstanding question about how effectively Big Blue can evolve Connections. Born as a collection of disparate services, the past few years have seen IBM trying to stabilize and integrate the platform, rather than really push it beyond the wide plethora of smaller competitors with more business-friendly offerings.
To be fair, the latest Connections dot-release provides a few more semi-finished social applications (e.g., for "ideation"). Contrast this with SharePoint, where — at least until version-next in 2013 — someone actually has to build social applications for you. Presumably, more Connections applications will be forthcoming.
As a customer investigating this marketplace, though, you should focus primarily on what Connections provides today, rather than dream about potential applications that may or may not pan out. This is a surprisingly complex platform — and like most IBM software, it will cost you serious implementation multiples.
If you’re curious to see more about our Enterprise Collaboration and Social Software comparative evaluations, you can download a sample excerpt.
