IBM bigs up mobile and social at Lotusphere

ORLANDO: IBM is to bring its email, file-sharing, networking and instant messaging applications to all major mobile platforms, including Apple, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia devices, as it continues to promote social business models to boost enterprise productivity.

IBM claimed at its Lotusphere annual partner and customer conference in Orlando that the forthcoming editions of Lotus Notes, Connections and Sametime will change the way people work.

"Access to information anytime, anywhere, on any device is critical, as is how information is aggregated and optimised by analytics," said Doug Cox, vice president of Lotus software development and support.

The plans to extend IBM tools to mobile platforms were emphasised when Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive of RIM, took the stage to promote the Lotus and Domino applications that will be available on the forthcoming BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Multi-tasking, internet performance and security were touted as key features that will attract enterprise users to the device, as will the ability to use applications natively, he said.

Meanwhile, Alistair Rennie, general manager of Lotus Notes, told delegates that using social networking has become as important to enterprises as the creation of the desktop computer and the internet.

Businesses that believe social collaboration is not relevant are missing the impact of this new business context, according to Rennie.

"The social model is taking hold not because it is the latest and greatest technology but because it has the ability to solve the problems that keep the people who run companies up at night. Firms using social networking tools are more successful," he said.

"Chief executives want to embody creative leadership, reinvent customer relationships and have operating dexterity. Social business approaches have some of the best ways to do that."

Rennie highlighted the three core characteristics that make social businesses successful: engagement, transparency and flexibility.

"Social businesses thrive by creating networks that let people dynamically connect to other people and information. It optimises the values and utility of these networks with deep analytics," he said.

"Secondly, they tend to be more transparent. The full resources of a company can be engaged by colleagues and customers from any standpoint inside or outside the firewall. In short, to open businesses."

Engagement combined with transparency allows organisations to be flexible enough to respond at speed to changing conditions, he added.