Collaboration Technologies

Ninth Class: IBM - Google - Microsoft Collaboration Platforms

IBM, Microsoft and Google are three major players in the field of Collaboration Technologies. They offer complete end-to-end collaboration technology solutions. Each company has a very different history and market strengths. While studying the subject of collaboration Technologies, the comparison of these 3 companies and their products/solutions provides some very interesting perspectives.

IBM is more than 100 years old Technology leader and even today the largest technology company in the world (more than US$100 billion in revenue). It dominates Hardware, Software as well as Services business. IBM pioneered collaboration by connecting computers to computers by dedicated connections. Thereafter the technologies have grown exponentially and IBM has kept pace with the technology and offered products at each level of technology growth. Lotus Notes is main collaboration product but there is a complete suit of products that integrates with each another.

Microsoft had identified the power of collaboration and the role of  PC technology. A book by Bill Gates, titled "Business at speed of thought", describes Microsoft's vision of DNS (Digital Nervous System). Microsoft entered PC world with it's single user PC Operating system but soon moved on to offering multi user operating systems and all related administrative and management tools. Microsoft Ofice, MSProject and various other products are now available in multi user versions enabling collaboration. Share Point is a product that enables integration all other Microsoft products to enable collaboration and integration of all products from Microsoft.

Google is the most recent entrant among all these three giants. Google has acquired it's leadership role in Internet world. Cloud based, email, documents, spreadsheets, presentations, Calendars alkong with a host of web2.0 and open sourse applications have creatde huge market niche .