How we compared corporate social networks. Part 1
Good day!
We position ourselves as a platform-independent company and our focus is not so much in introducing IT tools, but in attracting users to work in a new environment, building new skills, and changing user habits. Therefore, we help our clients to choose the most suitable platform for them.
How to compare classic IT systems? A huge list of functionality is taken and a table is drawn. If one of the compared systems implements this functionality - put a tick or a filled circle, if implements with reservations - put a half filled circle, if it does not, put a pass or an empty circle. But the fact is that the corporate social network is not an ordinary IT system, it is designed to introduce new methods of teamwork and, as a result, to solve business problems not only from the top down but also from the bottom up. This means that it is necessary to make such an interface, so that users like it. As a result, it is necessary to 1) evaluate the functionality of the system and 2) evaluate the convenience of the end users. Let's talk about these components in more detail.
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When a customer is interested in introducing corporate social systems and does not have any specific preferences for a particular product, it is important to first understand the business purpose of using the network. Does the customer need a combined portal with an integrated social network, or does the portal already exist and need to add a social component to it, or does the integration of the corporate social network with the workflow or corporate telephony system be required. And so on. Let us first consider the comparison of this particular component.
But that's what was discovered. It would seem that before reinventing the wheel, look on the Internet, it may have already been invented. Offhand analysis of platforms for social communications for several years conducted such grants as Gartner, Ovum or Forrester. But the local Russian market for them is too small and local brands are not present in the analysis. And they are, and they have interesting developments for the Russian corporate culture.
Well, not only Gartner or Forrester conduct a comparison of platforms, there are other, not so eminent consultants. However, the reports we found were divided into two categories: one or another platform (here is an example and an example ) is clearly moving forward in the first one, and in the second we have found too many inaccuracies to trust these results (here is an example and an example ). In addition, each report introduces its own coordinate system and it is very problematic to combine comparative tables.
As a result, we came to the conclusion that a comparative analysis should be carried out independently. What did we begin to compare? In this article, we described how to compare the functionality of corporate social networks - these are the basic functions, social processes and social layer. Since the corporate social network itself is a software platform - the issues of system management and administration within a large company become important. Well, no one has canceled the general questions from the category of "cloud or box?" And "how much does it cost?". As a result, we stopped at five groups of indicators:
· General (delivery method, prices, localization)
· Basic functionality
· Social processes
· Social stratum and integration
· Management and administration
We also agreed for ourselves that the total number of parameters should not be too large so that the focus would not blur, but also not too small so as not to lose essence. As a result, we formed about thirty parameters.
Now about the choice of platforms for comparison. We chose five platforms — these are Jive, IBM Connections, Yammer, Bitrix24, and DaOffice. Why exactly they? First, in our subjective opinion, this five represents the top five sales in the Russian market. Secondly, the first three are in the group of leaders according to consulting agencies. Thirdly, strong Russian players have been added - Bitrix24 and DaOffice. I apologize in advance to SAP Jam, Atlassian Confluence admirers (it seems to me that they are the closest candidates for inclusion in the list) and other manufacturers - I will be glad if you help to supplement the analysis presented below with data on these systems. If any of you see in the inaccuracy sheet - write to us.
Comparison table of corporate social networks:
Here is an example of using a table. A large corporate customer already has a portal on SharePoint and is considering adding a social function to the portal, that is, it is politically incorrect to build a parallel portal, you need to add a “clean” corporate social network. But the security service is against a cloud-based installation. And do not want to overpay. From the set of parameters, we can see that in this situation, the most appropriate solution is DaOffice. Number two is Yammer, if there are arguments for security.
One more example. The company is represented in Europe, Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union, has a large number of partners and decides to streamline the communication in the partner network. Until now, they have been communicating with partners separately, by e-mail, telephone, ICQ and Skype. The company has a Cisco telephony system. The most logical solution is to build a single portal for wider marketing penetration and organize feedback through the corporate social network. Because social intranets, multilingual interfaces, and integration with Cisco are required, the Jive platform is the most preferred. Number two can be either IBM Connections or Yammer with a future look at the bundle with SharePoint.
Further, in part 2 we will write about how to approach the choice of platform correctly, and in part 3 we will write how to evaluate the convenience of end users and share our impressions about the convenience and disadvantages of a particular platform. To be continued…
Vladimir Ivanitsa
viva@supereon.ru
We position ourselves as a platform-independent company and our focus is not so much in introducing IT tools, but in attracting users to work in a new environment, building new skills, and changing user habits. Therefore, we help our clients to choose the most suitable platform for them.
How to compare classic IT systems? A huge list of functionality is taken and a table is drawn. If one of the compared systems implements this functionality - put a tick or a filled circle, if implements with reservations - put a half filled circle, if it does not, put a pass or an empty circle. But the fact is that the corporate social network is not an ordinary IT system, it is designed to introduce new methods of teamwork and, as a result, to solve business problems not only from the top down but also from the bottom up. This means that it is necessary to make such an interface, so that users like it. As a result, it is necessary to 1) evaluate the functionality of the system and 2) evaluate the convenience of the end users. Let's talk about these components in more detail.
')
Comparative analysis of the functionality of platforms
When a customer is interested in introducing corporate social systems and does not have any specific preferences for a particular product, it is important to first understand the business purpose of using the network. Does the customer need a combined portal with an integrated social network, or does the portal already exist and need to add a social component to it, or does the integration of the corporate social network with the workflow or corporate telephony system be required. And so on. Let us first consider the comparison of this particular component.
But that's what was discovered. It would seem that before reinventing the wheel, look on the Internet, it may have already been invented. Offhand analysis of platforms for social communications for several years conducted such grants as Gartner, Ovum or Forrester. But the local Russian market for them is too small and local brands are not present in the analysis. And they are, and they have interesting developments for the Russian corporate culture.
Well, not only Gartner or Forrester conduct a comparison of platforms, there are other, not so eminent consultants. However, the reports we found were divided into two categories: one or another platform (here is an example and an example ) is clearly moving forward in the first one, and in the second we have found too many inaccuracies to trust these results (here is an example and an example ). In addition, each report introduces its own coordinate system and it is very problematic to combine comparative tables.
As a result, we came to the conclusion that a comparative analysis should be carried out independently. What did we begin to compare? In this article, we described how to compare the functionality of corporate social networks - these are the basic functions, social processes and social layer. Since the corporate social network itself is a software platform - the issues of system management and administration within a large company become important. Well, no one has canceled the general questions from the category of "cloud or box?" And "how much does it cost?". As a result, we stopped at five groups of indicators:
· General (delivery method, prices, localization)
· Basic functionality
· Social processes
· Social stratum and integration
· Management and administration
We also agreed for ourselves that the total number of parameters should not be too large so that the focus would not blur, but also not too small so as not to lose essence. As a result, we formed about thirty parameters.
Now about the choice of platforms for comparison. We chose five platforms — these are Jive, IBM Connections, Yammer, Bitrix24, and DaOffice. Why exactly they? First, in our subjective opinion, this five represents the top five sales in the Russian market. Secondly, the first three are in the group of leaders according to consulting agencies. Thirdly, strong Russian players have been added - Bitrix24 and DaOffice. I apologize in advance to SAP Jam, Atlassian Confluence admirers (it seems to me that they are the closest candidates for inclusion in the list) and other manufacturers - I will be glad if you help to supplement the analysis presented below with data on these systems. If any of you see in the inaccuracy sheet - write to us.
Comparison table of corporate social networks:
| Manufacturer | Jive software | IBM Connections | Yammer | Bitrix24 | DaOffice |
| Platform | |||||
| Description | Social intranet. Jive-n - internal network, editions of Essentials, Essentials +, Enterprise. Jive-x - external network, editions Forums, Essentials, Essentials + | Social intranet | Corporate social network (social intranet within Office 365). Editions Basic, Enterprise | Social intranet. Editorial Project, Team, Company, Corporate Portal, Holding | Corporate social network. Editorial Team, Business, Enterprise |
| Delivery method | Boxed and cloud versions. The funkional boxed is higher than cloudy. Datacenters in the US and Europe | Boxed and cloud versions. The difference in functions is insignificant. Datacenters in the USA, Europe and Asia | Only cloud version, data center in Europe | Boxed and cloud versions. Datacenter in Europe, plans to move to Russia | Box and cloud versions, data center in Russia |
| The cost of the cloud version (excluding special conditions) | From 144USD per year per user, external users without restriction, the number of hits to the site is charged | From 128USD per year for a full range of services. Free Guest Accounts | 36USD per year per user, external users without restrictions | 120t RUB per year without limiting the number of users, external users without restrictions | 1260 rubles per user per year + 354 rubles for an external user per year |
| Cost of the boxed version (excluding special conditions) | Subscription licensing. See the cost of the cloud version. | Perpetual licenses by the number of internal users, or by server capacity | Not | 199t rub + 1,400 rub per user, external users unlimited or 499t rub unlimited use. | Licensed by subscription. 1068 rubles per user per year + 270 rubles for an external user per year. The acquisition of a perpetual license is possible - the cost is equal to two years of subscription. |
| Test version | Trial version of the cloud for 30 days | Trial version of the cloud for 60 days | Free version with no time limit. Limited options for customization, moderation, administration, integration. | Free version of 30 days from the cloud or out of the box. Minimum cloud edition of up to 12 users - for free. | Free version from the cloud with no time limit. Limited options for customization, moderation, administration, integration. |
| Individual design | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, in the boxed version | Yes |
| Localization (Russian) | Yes, the language is set by the user. | Yes, the language is set automatically according to the browser settings. | Yes, the language is set by the user. | Yes | Yes |
| Multilingual | Multilingual interface. Spelling check for a limited number of languages | Multilingual interface | Multilingual interface. Multilingual online message translator. | Interface Russian, English, Ukrainian, Spanish, German | Only Russian interface |
| Basic functionality | |||||
| Basic functions (news feed, text messages, pictures, video, discussions, subscriptions, announcements, notifications, tags) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Groups (open, closed, moderation) | Yes, plus secret and / or with the addition of external users | Yes + the ability to connect external users to the group | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forums | Yes | Yes | Not | Not | Not |
| Blogs, wikis, co-editing, official versions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Work with files (central repository, sending and storing files, versioning) | Yes | Yes | Yes, 5GB per person | Yes, unlimited storage | Yes, unlimited storage |
| Private chat | Yes, but as a rule for personal correspondence you need to add the interlocutor to your network and get confirmation - insisted by the moderator | Yes, through IBM Sametime. But for personal correspondence you need to add the interlocutor to your network and get confirmation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inbox (read / unread / send / reply) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Presence Status / Chat / Group Chat | Yes | Yes, through IBM Sametime | Yes | Yes | Yes, presence status via the “now online” widget |
| User profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes, one profile for all networks | Yes, for the external network, the profile has a minimum of fields | Yes, different profiles for different networks |
| Unified search (files, people, profiles, content, mailbox) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, taking into account the morphology of the Russian language | Yes, taking into account the morphology of the Russian language |
| External users | You can create private or secret groups and include external users. | Yes, it is possible to include an unlimited number of external users | By creating a separate network for internal and external users. User can switch between networks | Yes, the minimum functionality of the external network is personal chats, group chats, private messages, notifications. | By creating a separate network for internal and external users. User can switch between networks |
| Social the processes | |||||
| Calendars | Yes | Yes | Within Office 365 | Yes | Creating events and integrating them with an email client. |
| Project and Task Management | Yes, plus task management through Producteev | Via the Activities module included in the package | Within Office 365 | Yes, schedule absences, time tracking, delegation | Event Management |
| Organization chart | Yes | Chain of command | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Polls and polls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Management of ideas | Creating and processing ideas, voting, reputation (as amended by Essentials +) | Creating and processing ideas, voting | Surveys and polls, managing ideas through the Ideascale app | Yes | Creating and processing ideas, voting, reputation ideas |
| Motivation | Gamification, missions, badges. Points for active use of the system. | Not | Thanks | Yes | Reputation, badges, expert statuses by topic, thanks |
| Involving new users | When registering, a usage policy is signed. Templates letters to engage. Points for activity. Tasks-games on the study of functionality. | When registering, a usage policy is signed. Tasks-games on the study of functionality. | When registering, a usage policy is signed. | Templates letters to engage. References to the training materials. | When registering, a usage policy is signed. By default, the user can immediately subscribe to certain groups and define other rules. |
| Social stratum and integration | |||||
| Synchronization with Active Directory | Yes, multiple domains | Yes, multiple domains | Yes, multiple domains | Yes, several domains in the holding version | Yes, multiple domains |
| Integration | SharePoint (Enterprise Edition), MS Office (Essentials + Edition), Outlook (Essentials + Edition), GoogleDrive, Google Docs (Jive-x Essentials + Edition) | Lotus Notes, Sametime, Exchange, SocialMail, MS Office, MS Outlook, SharePoint | SharePoint, Office 365, Saleforce, Dynamic CRM, Exchange (roadmap) | Office 365, Google Docs, SharePoint | SharePoint and other portals |
| Integration with third-party applications | Opensocial | REST API, OpenSocial | OpenGraph, REST API, Yammer embed | Open API | SocialGraph |
| Mobile platforms | iOS, Android, Blackberry, iPads, Winphone | iOS, Android, Blackberry, iPads, Winphone | iOS, Android, Winphone | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
| Additional applications | App store | Affiliate ecosystem, applications integrated via API and widgets | App store | CRM, process designer, app store | Created through a script |
| Voice and video communication | Integration with Cisco Webex or Lync is available as an application. | via IBM Sametime | integration with Lync within Office 365 | Yes, plus telephony | Not |
| Control | |||||
| Use Policies | Usage policy, communication flow management | via synchronization with LDAP | Yes | Access rules | Usage policy, communication flow management |
| Keyword Monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not | Yes |
| user management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Password policy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not | Yes |
| Analytics Tools | Statistics panel + data export | Via Cognos reports for IBM Connections (included in the boxed version) | Statistics panel + data export | Statistics panel | Statistics panel + data export |
| Security | eDiscovery | eDiscovery through third party software | eDiscovery, two-factor authentication | Two-factor authentication | Two-factor authorization. Datacenter on the territory of the Russian Federation, certificates and licenses for processing PD and information protection. |
Here is an example of using a table. A large corporate customer already has a portal on SharePoint and is considering adding a social function to the portal, that is, it is politically incorrect to build a parallel portal, you need to add a “clean” corporate social network. But the security service is against a cloud-based installation. And do not want to overpay. From the set of parameters, we can see that in this situation, the most appropriate solution is DaOffice. Number two is Yammer, if there are arguments for security.
One more example. The company is represented in Europe, Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union, has a large number of partners and decides to streamline the communication in the partner network. Until now, they have been communicating with partners separately, by e-mail, telephone, ICQ and Skype. The company has a Cisco telephony system. The most logical solution is to build a single portal for wider marketing penetration and organize feedback through the corporate social network. Because social intranets, multilingual interfaces, and integration with Cisco are required, the Jive platform is the most preferred. Number two can be either IBM Connections or Yammer with a future look at the bundle with SharePoint.
Further, in part 2 we will write about how to approach the choice of platform correctly, and in part 3 we will write how to evaluate the convenience of end users and share our impressions about the convenience and disadvantages of a particular platform. To be continued…
Vladimir Ivanitsa
viva@supereon.ru
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/293382/
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