Collaboration Platforms in Theory and Practice: SharePoint and Beyond

Author: Roger Strouse, Vice President & Lead Analyst

Collaboration platforms are a hot topic in information management (IM), but there is uncertainty as to what the new emphasis on collaboration means to enterprise IM. Enterprise IT groups have increasingly acquired SharePoint, the most visible of the collaboration platforms, as a matter of course as part of their “Microsoft shop” approaches, without any firm plan as to how they will apply it down the road. This often leaves IM responsible for implementing and exploiting collaboration software that has been dropped in their laps. Sometimes other, more specialized portals may be a better fit. This is the first in a planned series of Outsell reports on collaboration. Subsequent reports will delve into case studies and approaches, products in the collaboration marketplace, the use of collaboration beyond the boundaries of the enterprise, and human factors. This report contains:

- Outsell’s definition of collaboration platforms, and how they differ from traditional portals and websites;
- Three scenarios providing examples of how collaboration platforms can solve thorny IM problems;
- A look at how IM currently supports collaboration platforms, including Outsell data on content domains managed by IM and content services provided by IM;
- Collaboration leadership tips and best practices, and a table listing characteristics of successful collaboration managers;
- Imperatives for information managers.