Written by: Gustav Plato

IBM is rapidly moving into the collaborative Web 2.0 world.  IBM has already been active in using customer facing Web 2.0 technologies to enable its customer facing business as shown in its Virtual Business Center housed in the 2nd Life Virtual World.  It has also announced building its own virtual world, called Metaverse, in several news articles including eWeek, Information Week, and ZDNET.  These articles also address “Bluepedia” which is IBM’s internal Wiki.

At IBM the Web 2.0 world is fostering an environment that promotes communication and information exchange within IBM.  As a former IBMer (from the late 90s to the early 00s under CEO Lou Gerstner) one of the more attractive elements of working there was our use of technology to simplify the back office operations (accounting, human resources, supply chain) so that we could focus on our clients and service delivery.   At the time, although we were hoteling, and attempting to work in a distributed environment, the social aspects of being an IBM employee were a challenge.  That is now changing.

IBM leadership, many of whom were there, back in the day, have recognized the benefits of social networking as applied to internal business environments.  Keep watching large innovative companies as you look for examples for how to enable your own emerging business.   Figuring out how to apply these Web 2.0 technologies to your own business, and business culture, cost effectively, will enable your firm to innovate and execute.

Written by: Gustav Plato

Are you behind the curve?

Network-centric innovation is one is one of the fastest moving business model disrupters in many years. What we are seeing is that the world’s largest firms, like IBM and Proctor and Gamble (P&G), as well as emerging and medium sized firms, are moving away from purely internally driven innovation. They are accelerating their efforts in forging new business models by expanding their use of external partners (individuals or companies). They are “plugging in to the network