The document discusses the implementation of IBM Connections as a social intranet for a small Swiss company. It describes the company's objectives of improving internal communication, simplifying cooperation, improving knowledge transfer, and protecting knowledge. It outlines how the social intranet was set up and integrated with other systems. Usage statistics are provided showing adoption of the system. The conclusion is that while some challenges remain, the objectives were achieved and the social intranet has been a success.

1. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Social Intranet for Small Businesses
Sandra Bühler, Klaus Bild
September 2012

2. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
About us…

3. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Agenda
• Why (Objectives)
• How (Use cases)
• What (Our environment)
• Conclusions

4. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
IBM Connections = Major Enterprises?
Sure, the official success-stories of implementations of IBM Connections
are all about large multinational companies, globally dispersed and acting
worldwide, but…

5. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
IBM Connections = Major Enterprises?
And we?
How could IBM Connections help us, as a very small and locally acting
company?
Pfäffikon SZ
Zürich
Widnau

6. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Why did we implement a Social Intranet?

7. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our Objectives of Implementing Social SW
• Improving internal communication
• Simplification of cooperation
• Improving know-how transfer
• Protecting and sharing know-how

8. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving internal communication

9. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
How was the communication before
TOP
DOWN BOTTOM
UP
1:1
Verbally
Fragmented
AMONG PEERS
Project BU

10. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving internal communication
(Top Down)
Organizational communities (CEO, HR, Sales…)

11. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving internal communication
Employee handbook

12. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving internal communication
(Bottom Up)

13. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving internal communication
(among peers)
Forum, Status updates (Socializing), @Mentions (Sharing)

14. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving internal communication
Marketing Media Gallery (working across business units)

15. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Simplification of cooperation

16. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Simplification of cooperation
(Processes)
Activities – processes, installation checklists, events

17. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Simplification of cooperation
(Transparency)
Wikis – Gathering information

18. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Simplification of cooperation
(or how to cut short discussions)

19. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving know-how transfer

20. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving know-how transfer
(How to’s)

21. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Improving know-how transfer
(Backoffice / OP)

22. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Preserve and share know-how

23. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Preserve and share know-how

24. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Preserve and share know-how
Communities – knowledge containers

25. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Implementation of our Social Intranet –
Our approach

26. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
• Establishing of know-how communities (we are techies)
• Appointing community-leaders who are responsible for the content
• HR- and Management communities are established
***********************************************************************************
• Introduction and training of all employees
• Official means of communication are the community blogs of the
management and the HR (it is the duty of the employee to follow and to
be informed)
• Convince the employees -> using positive examples of the benefit when
using the social intranet (not only passively, but also actively)
• Management and community owners have to be role models
***********************************************************************************
• Attitude of sharing and playing an active part in the social intranet is the
norm and counts as a professional qualification
Pilot phase
(2010)
Productive
since
January 2011
Future?

27. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our environment - Setup
Started with V2.5
V3.0
V3.0.1
V4 (&Cognos)
V4.5 (&CCM)
INTERNET DMZ INTRANET
iOS/Android/BB
HTTPS 443
Connections Server
DB2/HTTP Server
Cognos Server
Edge
Reverse Proxy
Notes/
Connectors/
Browser
LDAP
Server

28. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our environment - Integration
Notes Client
• Standard Plugin
(Activities, Files, Status
Updates, Search)
deployed with IBM TEM
• Still no Embedded
Experience Integration
-> if you are using a
reverse proxy and you
have EE working you
should come and talk to
me!

29. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our environment - Integration
Sametime
• Integration into
Connections
WebUI through
Sametime Proxy

30. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our environment - Integration
Domino Mail
• Integration into
Connections
WebUI through
Connections Mails

31. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our environment - Integration
Windows
Connector
• Standard Plugin (MS
Explorer, MS Office)
deployed with IBM TEM

32. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our environment - Customizations
• Look and feel
• Added a Belsoft Menu
• Profiles
-> Google Map, Click2Call
• Richtext Editor
-> (Adding Plugins)

33. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Our environment – Future Plans
• Embedded Experience inside Notes Client
• Gamification (i.e. through Kudos Badges)
• Adding Notes Views (i.e. through Generic NSF View Widget)
• Activity Stream Injections (custom App)

34. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Numbers don’t lie
Number of unique authenticated visitors

35. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Numbers don’t lie
Number of visits
Average 1500 visits per month

36. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Numbers don’t lie
110 new activities

37. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Numbers don’t lie
237 blog entries

38. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Numbers don’t lie
133 new wiki pages

39. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Conclusion

40. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Conclusion of a new employee
«… I never thought that you could shorten the period of
vocational adjustment just in having in place something
like know-how communities and you can access the
know-how of your peers at your finger tips.»
«… when I look up some technical information
internally first, I can be sure, that the relevance
is much higher and I trust the source.»

41. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Conclusion of the management after
more than two years
Our Objectives of Implementing Social Software were all achieved
Improving internal communication
Simplification of cooperation
Improving know-how transfer
Protecting and sharing know-how
Some challenges remain
Critical mass (10% rule doesn’t work)
File Explorer in mind (where exactly is…)
Finding time to contribute during busy days
Change Management (organisational)

42. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
My personal conclusion
«Our social intranet is
a success story
… but language skills
and communication
skills are more
important than ever.»

43. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Questions?

44. UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales
Contact us
belsoft.ch
youtube.com/belsoftag
slideshare.com/belsoft
slideshare.com/kbild
linkedin.com/pub/sandra-bühler/10/48a/628/
linkedin.com/in/kbild
twitter.com/sandrach
twitter.com/kbild
kbild.ch