IBM Adds to its Social Business Tools with New Analytics
Lotusphere 2012 launched last week, with Big Blue solidifying their position as leaders in the social business software space. The event has seen IBM unveil a ranch of new software and services to help companies deliver social networking capabilities to employees that increasingly demand them.
The most interesting thing for me however was the launch of new analytic tools. They will allow customers to see at the touch of a button insight into their social networking activities, anytime, anywhere.
That IBM were set to launch this kind of feature is a pretty badly kept secret given the aggressive acquisition strategy they have been on. In the last 5 years IBM have spent over $14 billion on analytics companies. That investment is set to pay off, with the company suggesting that they expect analytics to bring in $16 billion in revenue by 2015.
The social analytics software scours blogs, wikis, email, activity streams and the other social functionality provided by IBM and flags data for action. The new IBM Connections is expected to also allow for instant collaboration with one simple click and the ability to build social communities both inside and outside the organization to increase customer loyalty and speed business results.
Jeff Schick, vice president of social software at IBM, said “What you’ll see at Lotusphere is analytics, analytics, analytics and mobile, mobile, mobile”.
Today, at Lotusphere 2012, IBM is announcing new cloud services and the next-generation of its social networking platform, IBM Connections, which Schick refers to as “Connections Next.” The new software incorporates sophisticated analytics capabilities, real-time data monitoring, and faster collaborative networks both inside and outside the organization through IBM's secure SmartCloud services.
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