The integration of software and services companies is starting to show how the social business market is consolidating into a network of companies that are like big mother ships that provide a platform for smaller service providers to operate within its frameworks.
Companies such as Jive Software and Salesforce.com are acting as networks with multiple feeders that connect large software providers with service oriented networks. In turn, developers are building apps that integrate with these networks, fueling the drive for more collaboration and perhaps most of all, preparing us for the next generation of data driven applications.
You see this in play with third-party connectors and open standards such as CMIS, a content management systems interoperability framework. In addition are the acquisitions that serve to strengthen these mother ships, especially as the need increases for data analytics.
Events this past week demonstrate what we are seeing happen as these forces begin to meet.
Appirio Connects Salesforce.com and Jive Software
Appirio is a cloud solutions provider. it is acting as a third-party connector. As we reported this week, Appirio announced that it now has the capability to integrate critical business information from Salesforce CRM with the collaboration capabilities of Jive Social Business Software. At the core are services that allow for sales teams to collaborate on sales opportunities. The collaborative sales app is available to Jive 5 beta customers and will be available in the Jive Apps Market upon availability of Jive 5.
Jive Software and Alfresco Software
Jive Software and Alfresco Software announced a partnership this week that further shows how the two companies are integrating social collaboration and content management technologies with the CMIS framework. The alliance allows for the content management repository capabilities from Alfresco to work within the Jive framework. The integration is important for larger companies that require content management features but also see the increasing need for collaboration technologies in order for their businesses to be competitive.
CMIS makes it possible to connect enterprise content management systens with collaboration technologies. That positions Jive to address the solutions needs of large enterprise customers that face the reality that social technologies have to be integrated into content management systems. With Salesforce integrations, we are seeing the emergence of large interdependent systems that makes rivals more like competitive business partners.
Salesforce.com Purchases Radian6
Salesforce.com acquired Radian6 this week, giving it a deep foothold in the social analytics market. Its partnerships with VMware and Google through its Force.com platfom further give it strength and shows the deepening influence it has in the apps marketplace. It pairs Chatter with social analytics and a host of accompanying apps to give it an identity more associated with the social enterprise.
The Next Phase: Data Driven Apps
All told, the app ecosystem will be further influenced by these big mother ships. IBM, Google and Microsoft are the obvious others in the mix.
But it is the sheer volume of data that changes the dynamic for the entire ecosystem. That’s what is truly driving the growth of companies like Salesforce.com and Jive Software. Data needs to be far better managed than it is today. Radian6 is one data analytics tool but there will be many more. There may be a strong current of consolidation but a new generation of data driven apps will sure to emerge as we move into the next phase of the social, data driven enterprise.
