SharePoint 2010: Four big-name social networking rivals

As the social Web extends beyond Twitter and Facebook and into businesses, many enterprise-level companies are changing their cultures and focusing on improving communication, sharing information and connecting global workforces through social media.

"SharePoint 2010 now includes more social capabilities, and the value for many businesses is that it's also included with an existing, highly-integrated platform. For many organizations, that will be the right direction," he says.

Lotus Connections is IBM's social networking software for businesses. Like every platform in the enterprise 2.0 space, IBM's goal with Connections is to help companies unite workers, partners and customers through online social tools that anyone who uses Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging will recognize.

The Web-based Quad

The Web-based Quad, named after a quad on a college campus, will set itself apart from Microsoft by integrating its unified communications tools like VoIP, video and WebEx Connect presence tools into a social networking site locked together with enterprise-level policy and security controls. Cisco plans a summer release.

Quad's interface is constructed around a main customizable landing page (My View), individual profile pages (My Profiles) and Communities pages where groups within a company can collaborate. On the right side of the page lies access to your calendar, as well as Cisco's real-time communications tools such as voice, IM and video conferencing. It's a tightly-integrated Web-based platform that can be accessed on any Internet-based PC outfitted with a camera and a microphone. No client software is required.

The line between communications

"As the line between communications and collaboration blurs, Cisco could use their position of strength in communications to create some very compelling collaboration tools," he says.

Quad is also scheduled to be available as a native iPhone and iPad application this fall, with other mobile devices to follow, says Murali Sitaram, vice president for the enterprise collaboration business unit at Cisco.

The competition

Google Buzz does have deeper smartphone integration than the competition, from a Buzz mobile web app to a Buzz layer in Google Maps for mobile, he says. But as is true for many Google products, enterprises are likely to have security, privacy and customer support concerns with Google Buzz, says Koplowitz.

Salesforce.com's social collaboration platform, called Chatter, became generally available last week after months of hype and a well-received private beta that started in February. Chatter provides the same Facebook-like look and features as Google Buzz and others, but is designed to integrate with both Salesforce's portfolio of business apps and financial and HR apps from the likes of Oracle and Microsoft.