I want to get everyone's opinion on this. I am not saying that I believe either way. I am pursuing becoming a connections developer.
But I talk to clients, peers, and friends about connections and I do not get a warm fuzzy feeling about it, especially in the SMB market. Cost, implementation and user adoption are the main concerns.
Some quotes I have heard:
-Why would I want to bring it into my business, seems like an interruption,
-I do not have the skills in-house, I can do most of this on Domino.
-It just does not make sense.
So will IBM Connections be the next best thing, or the next in line to follow E-suite, components workplace, etc.
Bring it on.
The hype vs. the reality. I think it will be a little of both. I think there will be pieces that fit, and some that won't. Domino/Notes/the features in Engage work. A lot of the Connections features are cool, but I'm just not sure how you would integrate all that into a SMB.
ReplyDeleteI think the real power of this stuff is plugging into a business process to enhance it, not culturally change it.
Although the demos have been great, and I can see some high end business solutions in there, I'm just not sure how that translates to my customers.
Well, my two cents.
This is a tough one for all of us who have lived through IBM products like Workplace, Discovery Server, etc. that were going to be the next big thing but didn't get off the ground. I think the problem that IBM has with Connections right now, is like Lotus had with Notes in the '90s: they can't explain what it is (outside of the nondescript label of "social software for business"). Since we all have limited time to learn new technology, we're always placing our bets. But as Yogi Berra wisely put it "It's hard to predict the future, in advance."
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that there are other people out there that think the same sort of things as I do.
We have seen some many products that get hyped and pushed and then quietly droped.
I recall there was (i forget its name) the Notes web shop, a series of Notes databases where you could build your own web store. Its work great in small deployments but as soon as you go ant real stock and customers it just tanked, my compnany for one, at IBM encouragement, invested loads of time into it.
I have looked closely at Connections, it strikes me that it is complex and difficult to install needs loads of resources and offer not that much more that Notes anyway.
I guess if you are a company like GM and CAT, it could make sense, but in my market, SMB's in Asia,it does not stack up, no one is going to invest that much money for so little extra return over Notes.
Please dont get me wrong I am not knocking IBM, I love Notes and have use it for 21 years. But like you I have seen products come and go. I think Connections is not a winner.
As Don said IBM cant really tell us what Connections is and why we need it in additions to Notes. If IBM created it as an add on to Notes that gave Notes a whole load of new functionality or say a series of prebuilt Domino Db'd, then yes i could see it.
But now I just dont get it. By the way Components was a brilliant idea and app, just wish they had contimnued with it.
Be interesting to see how many agree or disagree.