Join NewsGator at the Virtual Enterprise 2.0 Conference 2010

If you've been following your blog recently, you'll know that  NewsGator submitted 5 speaking session proposals for Enterprise 2.0  Boston, which is taking place in June of this year. But you don't have to wait until June to interact with us!

Today is the day of the Virtual Enterprise 2.0 Conference for 2010, in which NewsGator is not only participating, but is also a Silver Sponsor.  Today's events, which span from 11am to 5pm ET, will give attendees a comprehensive view of the strategies, applications and best practices needed to sustain a competitive advantage in today's evolving marketplace.

In today's virtual conference, NewsGator has a booth where you can chat with representatives of our company, which has more paid enterprise social computing users overall than any other social computing vendor.

So, check out today's Virtual Enterprise 2.0 Conference for 2010, and make sure you visit NewsGator's virtual booth!

Nine Enterprise 2.0 Predictions for 2010

We could make a million Enterprise 2.0 predictions for 2010, but nine jump out to us as especially salient. And since these lists always have “10 things,” can you help us out by offering a 10th prediction? Think about it as you read the list below.

Also, we’re admittedly a little late with our predictions, but it’s only because we’ve been working so hard on being early with new social computing features that matter, like integrated (vs. siloed) microblogging and Knowledge Explorer. We’ve also been busy with some under-the-radar activity that very soon will make companies’ E2.0 investment decisions a lot easier.

So, on to the list. Based on our work with more than 2.1 million Enterprise 2.0 users in organizations plus our conversations with countless companies preparing to take the plunge, here are nine predictions for Enterprise 2.0 in the next 11 and a half months and beyond:

1. Gen Y matters. Although baby boomers will be the gatekeepers for E2.0, Gen Y will take the reins and drive knowledge-sharing in unexpected new ways.
2. Microblogging will pervade the enterprise. Your colleagues are already tweeting and perhaps yammering, but they’ll be more productive if microblogging is integrated in your E2.0 environment and activity stream. Social Sites (shameless plug) is the best example of this.
3. Social computing policies will be a hot topic. Web 2.0 made everyone a publisher, but it didn’t make everyone judicious about what they publish. In allowing Web 2.0 into the enterprise, organizations will struggle with policies about how to do social computing right, internally and externally. Clamping down will defeat the purpose of easy, organic and freewheeling knowledge-sharing. Being too laid back will result in unfortunate leaks and PR disasters.
4. HR should retool. Bottom-to-top enterprise transparency will reveal certain employees as top producers and others as frauds. And though individual performance will still matter, “selfless” contributions to the collective good will demand reward.
5. E2.0 training will require training. If you’re below a certain age, E2.0 training is an oxymoron or at least a redundancy. If you’re over that age, training will be essential to take advantage of the opportunities of the new and mysterious activities known as social networking, communities, social bookmarking, tagging, activity streaming, blogging and the rest.
6. Enterprise adopts location-based services. Increasingly mobile employees will rely on GPS-enabled smart phones to know where their colleagues are. And, of course, enterprises will know where their employees are. This will enable sales forces, for example, to more efficiently schedule customer visits and have more face time with more prospects.
7. All work will become social. Whether it’s ERP, CRM, HRM, BI or marketing analytics, every important workflow will be infused and integrated with social environments that enable more efficient sharing and action upon valuable knowledge.
8. CIOs crack down on rogue social activity. As they deploy social computing environments, CIOs will pull the plug on ad hoc Facebook groups, grassroots Yammer installations, personal tweeting and other activities that jeopardize productivity, security and proprietary information.
9. CEOs will finally “get” social computing. Their own Web 2.0 experiences, combined with the business world’s increasing understanding of its potential, will prompt more CEOs to initiate, support and ensure the success of E2.0 initiatives.
10. [YOUR PREDICTION HERE] What do you predict for Enterprise 2.0 in 2010? Tell us in the comments section. In June at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference, we’ll blog about the most popular responses. In December we’ll see who nailed it.

The 2.0 Adoption Council – Social Computing Webinar Series

The 2.0 Adoption council is a collection of managers in large enterprises that are charting the course for 2.0 adoption. These managers use different platforms and tools, but all share a common enthusiasm for bringing a new way of working to their representative companies. The council members call themselves “internal evangelists” and have one of the most difficult, yet exciting jobs in the global marketplace. Now you can learn from these Enterprise 2.0 experts via a 4-part webinar series sponsored by NewsGator.

As 2.0 solutions continue to penetrate and proliferate, NewsGator understands that companies are at various stages of understanding, adopting and applying 2.0 technology and business solutions within their organizations. We are hosting a 4 week webinar series designed to help companies at any stage of the process from selection to adoption.

Please join us for one or all of the webinars presented by industry and government members of The 2.0 Adoption Council.

• January 28th: Webinar #1: Social Computing Adoption in the Enterprise "the Before" - learn how to best develop the business case, gain buy-in, select technology and establish the team 
• February 4th: Webinar #2: Social Computing Adoption in the Enterprise "the After" –gather best practices on implementation, policy formation, training, and community management 
• February 11th: Webinar #3: EMC Enterprise 2.0 Case Study 
• February 18th: Webinar #4: Raytheon Enterprise 2.0 Case Study   

We hope you'll attend. You can register here.

NewsGator Acquires Tomoye

I’m thrilled to announce today that we’ve acquired Tomoye, a long-time leader in enterprise collaboration and social computing.

As we mentioned in the release, the combination of Tomoye and NewsGator means:

1. The largest commercial and government enterprise 2.0 customers and deployments in the world.  Tomoye’s astounding successes with the U.S. Army and Defense Acquisition University are just two of many examples of Tomoye’s pioneering success in driving collaboration across large-scale, mission-critical communities.  In combination Tomoye and NewsGator have over 2 million enterprise social computing seats worldwide.
2. Complete coverage for .Net and SharePoint for enterprise collaboration and social computing.  Tomoye’s Ecco 3.0 product offered alongside NewsGator Social Sites covers every conceivable customer scenario; from a well-integrated SharePoint WSS solution to a deeply customized MOSS 2007 deployment to a quickly deployed standalone platform; and from intranet collaboration and expertise discovery to extranet customer and partner interactions to Internet communities for customers.  We are already working closely with a range of high profile partners around SharePoint 2010, too.  
3. An even stronger Microsoft partner.  NewsGator is a depth-managed partner of Microsoft (an honor held by less than 3% of Microsoft partners), and Tomoye is a Certified Gold Partner. In combination the two companies represent the deepest .Net and SharePoint Enterprise 2.0 talent bench.  
4. More resources for more partners and more innovation for more customers more quickly.

The Tomoye team, headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, has been a long-term gold standard for enterprise collaboration and social computing.  They will continue to work from their current locations.  I’m very pleased to add Eric Sauve to the deeply experienced management team at NewsGator.  He will continue to be responsible for Tomoye products and will spearhead our combined efforts to rapidly grow our Government 2.0 businesses.

2009 was a record year for NewsGator – we exceeded all of our financial goals despite the down economy.  We were recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States, named to the Deloitte 2009 Technology Fast 500, and received Microsoft’s Search Innovation Award for Best Social Computing Solution.  Our competitive achievements included enterprise-wide wins at two of the three largest global consulting firms; eight of the top twelve pharmaceutical companies; and four of the top five U.S. commercial banks.

We couldn’t be more delighted at launching into 2010 with the Tomoye team as part of the family.

For more info, view our FAQs.

FAQS - NewsGator Acquisition of Tomoye

 

 

1) Please tell me about Tomoye.
a. Based in Ottawa Canada, Tomoye has pioneered enterprise social computing, communities of practice and communities of interest, and cross-enterprise learning and collaboration since its inception in 2000.  Tomoye continues to garner award after award for its implementations across a strong base of loyal customers, particularly in the government sector. Like NewsGator Social Sites, Tomoye’s Ecco social computing software enhances Microsoft SharePoint by adding a wide range of capabilities, including social media, social networking and communities.  Ecco also provides an extremely rich feature set running in a standalone mode. 

2) Why did NewsGator acquire Tomoye?
a. The combined entity delivers Enterprise 2.0’s most comprehensive product solution, the largest and most experienced R&D team, and the deepest integration with Microsoft SharePoint - resulting in a single source for intranet, extranet and Internet social computing solutions for the private and public sectors.  Tomoye offered NewsGator:

• An excellent product that runs in standalone mode or on the Windows SharePoint Services version of SharePoint.  In combination the two companies represent the deepest .Net and SharePoint Enterprise 2.0 talent bench and product offerings that cover every conceivable customer scenario from a quickly deployed standalone platform to a well-integrated SharePoint WSS solution to a deeply customized MOSS 2007 deployment to a SharePoint 2010 implementation.

• Tremendous expertise and market leadership in the government sector. This means we can even more quickly help new and existing government customers profit from social computing.

• Extensive extranet and Internet implementations which complement NewsGator’s leadership and primary focus in enterprise intranet implementations.  This combination of product offerings covers intranet collaboration and expertise discovery to extranet customer and partner interactions to Internet communities for customers.

• Deep experience in making online communities vibrant and productive.

• A talented staff that can accelerate innovation for our customers.

• Extension of our geographic reach with offices in Canada and a product fully internationalized.

 

3) What are the product plans for Tomoye Ecco?
a. Tomoye Ecco will remain a standalone product with continued innovation and support for existing and new customers.  In addition, there will be integration points and upgrade paths between Ecco and NewsGator Social Sites.

4) How will Tomoye and NewsGator customers benefit from this deal?
a. The combined entity offers a larger development, services, and support staff which will provide customers with accelerated innovation opportunities.  Together NewsGator and Tomoye can react even more quickly to advances in the industry, enabling customers to reap the benefits of new social computing features that much sooner.

5) How many employees does Tomoye have?
a. Tomoye has just under 25 full time equivalent employees.

6) Will the Tomoye employees become part of NewsGator?
a. YES!  The Tomoye folks have deep experience in social business communities and .Net and SharePoint technologies.  NewsGator looks forward to adding their expertise to our company.  The Tomoye team is based primarily in Ottawa, Canada and will continue to work from their current locations. 

7) What role will Tomoye’s CEO, Eric Sauve, have at NewsGator?
a. Eric Sauve will join the deeply experienced management team at NewsGator.  He’ll continue to be responsible for Tomoye products and will spearhead the combined companies’ aggressive expansion efforts in the huge Government 2.0 market.

8) Please share some examples of Tomoye’s customers.
a. Tomoye has extensive expertise in the government and military arena.  A few of Tomoye’s customers are The United States Army, and The United States Air Force, Defense Acquisition University, Jacobs Engineering, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

9) Please share some examples of NewsGator customers.
a. NewsGator Social Sites uptake is highest among very large public-sector enterprises particularly in the Financial Services, Pharma/Bio-Tech, and Professional Services industries.  NewsGator customers include Novartis, Biogen, and Edelman.  As of the end of 2009, NewsGator is happy to count the following as paid customers:

• 8 of the top 12 pharmaceutical companies

• 4 of the top 5 US commercial banks

• 3 of the top 7 aerospace and defense companies

• 2 of the top 3 US network & communications manufacturers

• 4 of the top 15 consulting companies

• World’s largest private public relations firm

• World’s 2nd largest law firm

• The US’s largest energy company

• The US’s largest food consumer product company

• The US’s largest medical products manufacturer

• The US’s 2nd largest petroleum refining company

• The US’s 2nd largest telecommunications company

• The US’s 2nd largest advertising agency

10) What are the financial terms of the deal?
a. The financial terms will not be made public.

11) What will happen to the Tomoye brand?
a. NewsGator will be used as the corporate brand/name.  The Tomoye brand will continue to be used in reference to the existing Tomoye products and services.

12) Was Tomoye a Microsoft partner?
a. Yes, Tomoye was a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. NewsGator is also a Gold Certified Partner but also holds a “Depth Managed” partner status with Microsoft – a status held by less than 3% of Microsoft Partners. In combination the two represent the deepest bench for .Net and SharePoint social computing capability in the world.

13) How did NewsGator perform in 2009?
a. NewsGator exceeded all its financial targets in 2009 by a wide margin.  In 2009, NewsGator was promoted to a ‘Depth Managed’ partner – a status held by less than 3% of Microsoft Partners.  In addition, during 2009 NewsGator was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States, was named to the Deloitte 2009 Technology Fast 500, and received Microsoft’s Search Innovation Award for Best Social Computing Solution.

14) Will NewsGator acquire additional companies in 2010
a. Certain companies in our market may potentially offer functionality, platform support or vertical expertise that our customers might need. We are always looking for ways to empower our customers and accelerate our market leadership, whether through internal or corporate development.

Vote for Our Speaking Submissions for Enterprise 2.0 Boston

The Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston in June year is one of the most important industry events that NewsGator attends. This year we've submitted a record 5 speaking proposals.  Our desire is to communicate, along side our clients, a wide range of topics surrounding social computing and enterprise collaboration.  We hope you'll consider voting for some of the below proposed sessions if you find them of interest to you. (You can click on the links at the end of the descriptions to vote.)

• Mission Collaboration - Enterprise Social Computing At Raytheon: Through a case study of Raytheon we’ll address how a social computing solution can be both open and secure and help remove bottle necks in information (knowledge, expertise, artifacts) discovery and sharing within an organization, while being fully customizable and still providing necessary ROI. http://bit.ly/6lCBUK
• Lessons Learned at the Front Edge of Enterprise Social Computing: Through Accenture and Citi case studies we’ll address: change management – i.e., roles of IT, HR, corporate communications, etc.; the most important parameters to consider in choosing an enterprise 2.0 platform; what works and doesn’t with social computing and enterprise 2.0; differences between internal branded social networks versus external consumer networks. http://bit.ly/6Zri4e
• "So You Think You Can Social": Join a fun and interactive session based loosely on the popular television show “So You Think You Can Dance”.  Social computing thought leaders from three enterprises will share their best social computing ‘moves’ and the crowd will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite best practices and tips. http://bit.ly/7Hf7tr
• SharePoint 2010: Is It An All-Or-Nothing E2.0 Decision: SharePoint 2010 is an across-the-board improvement in Enterprise 2.0 tools. However, organizations may have already invested in other tools and platforms for blogs,wikis , communities, and social networking. What are the options moving forward? This panel will explore social tools that extend, or provide an alternative platform to,SharePoint 2010. http://bit.ly/5lwomC
• Lessons Learned at the Front Edge of Enterprise Social Computing: Through a Citi case study we’ll address: change management – i.e., roles of IT, HR, corporate communications, etc.; the most important parameters to consider in choosing an enterprise 2.0 platform; what works and doesn’t with social computing and enterprise 2.0; differences between internal branded social networks versus external consumer networks. http://bit.ly/6Zri4e
  
  

Last Chance to Register for Wednesday's Webinar with Accenture

NewsGator's webinar, "Social Computing on SharePoint -- Accenture Use Case," is just two days away, so this is your last chance to register. The premise: there's no better way to learn about enterprise social computing than through experience, especially if you are able to capitalize on someone else’s experience. Learn from NewsGator’s customer, Accenture, as they share their experience and lessons learned with respect to enterprise social computing and knowledge management.

Accenture is a $22 billion, global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company that sees social networking approaches to collaboration as critical to engaging their increasingly specialized, mobile, and distributed workforce. They have implemented a sophisticated social computing environment and the company is driving Collaboration 2.0 with features such as microblogging, communities of practice, and enterprise social profiles.

Please join Kevin Dana, Director of Enterprise Social Computing and Collaboration for Accenture, and J.B. Holston, CEO & President of NewsGator, as they discuss Accenture’s success with social computing, the results achieved, and the lessons learned in the process.

You can sign up for this free webinar here.

Put Social Computing to Work: Enterprise 2.0 & Microsoft Office SharePoint Server with a Sneak Peek of SharePoint 2010

Do you want to learn more about the state of the Enterprise 2.0 market and hear how your peers are using SharePoint and NewsGator Social Sites to implement enterprise-class social computing platforms that deliver true business benefits? If the answer is yes, then you should register today for the upcoming event, "Enterprise 2.0 & Microsoft Office SharePoint Server with a Sneak Peek of SharePoint 2010." 

This event will take place on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 from 8:30am to 1pm at the Microsoft Office in Irvine, CA.  

Speakers include:

• Charles Maxson, Information Worker Solution Specialist, Microsoft
• John Roe, Sr., Technology Specialist, speakTECH 
• Ashley Roach, Director of Product Management, NewsGator   

Sessions will include:

• SharePoint 2010: Gain a better understanding of SharePoint 2010's "out-of-the-box" features
• SharePoint As a Platform: Understand how SharePoint can be used as your Social Computing platform today and in the SharePoint 2010 timeframe 
• Enhanced Social Computing on SharePoint: Learn how NewsGator Social Sites can be used to extend and expand SharePoint's social computing capabilities
• Enterprise 2.0 Customer Case Studies: Hear how companies are using social computing to drive tangible business benefits 
• Peer Roundtable: Share Enterprise 2.0 tips, tricks, and best practices with your peers   

You can register now for what's sure to be an informative and dynamic event here.

Upcoming Webinar: Social Computing on SharePoint - Accenture Use Case

Sign up for NewsGator's upcoming webinar, "Social Computing on SharePoint -- Accenture Use Case." The premise: there's no better way to learn about enterprise social computing than through experience, especially if you are able to capitalize on someone else’s experience. Learn from NewsGator’s customer, Accenture, as they share their experience and lessons learned with respect to enterprise social computing and knowledge management.

Accenture is a $22 billion, global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company that sees social networking approaches to collaboration as critical to engaging their increasingly specialized, mobile, and distributed workforce. They have implemented a sophisticated social computing environment and the company is driving Collaboration 2.0 with features such as microblogging, communities of practice, and enterprise social profiles.

Please join Kevin Dana, Director of Enterprise Social Computing and Collaboration for Accenture, and J.B. Holston, CEO & President of NewsGator, as they discuss Accenture’s success with social computing, the results achieved, and the lessons learned in the process.

You can sign up for this free webinar here.

Happy Holidays From NewsGator