Lotusphere 2012.  I have had a week now to think about Lotusphere 2012.  I usually blog during the event, but sometimes it is better to sit back a week and collect your thoughts.

I’ll start with the Opening General Session (OGS).  The OGS sets the tone for the entire conference.  I noticed last year when the OGS was bad.  That was the talk of the conference over the next several days.  Attendees were expecting big news.  We were expecting that, “one more thing.”  We thought after the 10th panel of customers that there would be some meat for the crowd.  No such thing happened.  I also noticed that in 2011 there wasn’t a whole lot of “wow” out of the Lotus brand.

In 2012, the OGS was much better.  Customer panels or testimonials are good, but save them for 3-5 min videos in the hall or individual sessions.  One striking thing I saw, or should say did not see, was a focus on Notes/Domino.  The theme was around the Exceptional Web Experience and Social.  I also heard Sandy Carter say something I have been waiting for.  Portal is social.  It is the foundation of a social experience.  I have noted this earlier, but social software adoption drops when the tooling is in a separate environment.  If I am working in Office, or email, or my CRM application, I don’t want to go over to my Connections site to save a File, microblog, or post to an Activity.  There is a solution out there that allows you to have portlets and widgets on a single screen.  It is called WebSphere Portal.

IBM is also renaming LotusLive.  It is now IBM SmartCloud for Social Business.  This will unify the IBM cloud offering under a single pillar, whether it be collaboration, business analytics, commerce, whatever.  I noted two changes in the offering.  1) ProjExec from Trilog is now offered through the SmartCloud.  If you are looking for a social Project Management solution, take a serious look at this one.  2) IBM Docs, formerly LotusLive Symphony.  The Beta is available on Greenhouse.  I am a little stubborn, but I do not want another productivity tool on my Mac.  I have Office and iWorks.  I can now open those documents that IBMers send me on LotusLive.

The last, and I felt the most important, and most exciting announcement came with Connections Next.  I finally see Connections starting to make its move in the market.  This is following the trend of general interest among companies.  Two features in Connections Next hit home for me.  1) Accessing my mail and calendar in Connections.  Each morning, I open my Lotus Notes client, then open up my Phase 2 Connections environment.  With this, I just dropped the client.  I want to see my high priority mail I need to work on, and get an overview of my calendar.  I can do all that within my Connections environment.  2) Activity Stream.  This blew me away.  I can now work on activities within this stream.  It may be accessing a vacation request from one of our reps, approving an expense report in NetSuite, or acting on a pipeline report in our SugarCRM system…..all within Connections.

I took this final piece directly from Ed Brill’s Blog.

The opening general session can be viewed via http://ibm.co/w9vfSC (registration required).

Beyond that, there is a ton of content on LiveStream.com/ibmsoftware. The other general sessions, many strategy and focus breakouts, and a series of “conversations with Lenny Liebmann” — on camera interviews on a range of topics.

You can access the full Lotusphere video library here. My conversation with Lenny about the value of IBM’s service & support program (S&S) is included, along with the stream of my INV101 Strategy session on Messaging and Collaboration.

As I mentioned in a previous post, with your Notes and Domino licenses, you are entitled to receive IBM Connections Files and Profiles for all of your current users at no additional charge.  I started talking to our customers about this entitlement last month and I kept getting the same feedback.  Customers are excited about the new entitlement, but they are not sure how to deploy and support the Connections environment.

For those of you that are not familiar with IBM Connections, it is a Java based solution built on Websphere Application Server.  This requires different skills than supporting your traditional Lotus Domino environment.  It also requires additional hardware that our customers may or may not have.

Based on the feedback I received, I reached out to Phase 2 (http://www.phase2.com/hosted-lotus-connections-overview.aspx) to see if they would be interested in hosting the Profiles and Files entitlements.  They already offer IBM Connections as a hosted solution, or as a SaaS model.  it would only require limiting the services to the two entitlements.

After several discussions, Phase 2 came back with a price to host the two entitlements.  The monthly charge will be $5.99 per/user, per/month.  After discussions with a few IBMers, this is within the license framework that allows companies to have another provider host the license.  This can also be done for international clients as well.

For more information, please give me a shout.  I would love to discuss this with you.

There has been a lot of news recently in the Lotus brand.  There have been updates to the LotusLive offering with the addition of ProjExec, over the wire mailbox transfers, and updated Files functionality.

For this Blog, we are going to focus on the ProjExec news.  This is exciting because we have used ProjExec in the past to work with our clients.

For those of you not familiar with ProjExec, it is a social Project Management tool built by the Trilog Group, a long time Lotus partner.

Last year, we started to use LotusLive as our primary vehicle when working with our clients.  We create Communities, and add our clients as guests into them.  One piece we always wanted was the ability to include more of the Project Management functions.  Like most organizations, we use MS Project to manage the daily tasks of our engagement.  With this new addition in LotusLive, it will make it that much easier.

ProjExec is also social.  I hear and read that social PM is a hot subject.  Project Managers can invite other IBM LotusLive users (including external guests) by listing them as project members. Project team members and stakeholders can get automatic project status updates, plus communicate and share in real-time using the Project Wall, a Facebook-style activity stream spanning multiple projects. ProjExec Live also integrates with IBM LotusLive services such as Profiles, Communities, Activities, Files and Meetings to maximize the social project experience.

For more information on ProjExec Live, click here.

The word is taking some time to get out.   With your Notes and Domino licenses, you are entitled to receive IBM Connections Files and Profiles for all of your current users at no additional charge.

Join this webcast to learn how to get started with these new tools as you journey with your team to become a more collaborative Social Business.  View today’s IBM Lotus Notes 8.5.3 demo to find out how easy it is to stay productive and connected without leaving your inbox. This demo will show you how you can integrate the best and powerful social software capabilities into your existing environment.

You can also talk to me or our friends at Phase 2 about having these two services hosted.

How to Deploy and Use IBM Connections Files and Profiles
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 1-2:00 pm ET
The conference line is:
888-889-3947
Participant code 3070606

Register here

Our friends at Whitsell Consulting are looking for a Lotus Notes/Domino Developer.  I respect the work of Whitsell and believe it would be a good place to work.

Whitsell Consulting is currently looking to add a full-time, permanent Lotus Notes/Domino developer to our staff.  We are looking for someone that enjoys working in our team environment and will use their creativity while bouncing ideas around our Ping-Pong conference table. Whitsell Consulting strives to maintain a laid-back yet productive environment. Team lunches and random Starbucks runs are a part of our routine, and we are strong supporters of local businesses (including the burrito place next door). We believe that team-building happens while riding ATVs in the mountains, playing golf or trips to Vegas and job will potentially allow you to work from home a few days each week. Simply put, we work hard to play hard.

Phase 2 and Alacrinet to Merge

October 28, 2011

For Immediate Release

Palo Alto, CA/Honolulu, HI

Phase 2 International (PHASE 2) and Alacrinet Consulting Services, Inc. (Alacrinet) announced today that their respective Boards have reached an Agreement in Principal to merge the two businesses.  The companies anticipate that the transaction will close within 30 days.

PHASE 2 is a pioneer in the Cloud computing space hosting the full suite of collaboration tools from both IBM and Microsoft.  Their long history of Cloud hosting includes Enterprise customers such as Western Digital, British Petroleum, and Clear Channel.  Government customers include NASA, Census Bureau and Office of Head Start as well as the cities of Albuquerque and Fort Worth.

PHASE 2 CEO, Kevin Doherty, stated, “This transaction will bring together two of the pre-eminent companies in the Cloud space.  We have been working together as partners for several years and recently the synergies between the companies have become hard to ignore.  The combined entity will be much more capable and efficient than the two businesses operating independently.”

Alacrinet is a long time IT services company specializing in IBM applications with a specific focus on collaborative portal development.  Alacrinet’s customers include Accenture, Jack in the Box, Swift Transportation, and MGM Resorts.  Their government customer list includes Federal Aviation Administration, State of Washington, the Honolulu Police Department and the City and County of Honolulu.

“PHASE 2 brings the network and hosting expertise and we complete the package by providing customer integration and migration services as well as deep experience in customizing and installing products such as WebSphere and many others”, according to Brian Bouchard, Alacrinet’s President.  “Together we will be able to provide customers with end-to-end service as they move applications from other providers or their own on-prem installations to the Cloud.”

The merged company will be headquartered in Palo Alto with offices in Honolulu, Denver, Phoenix, Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, DC.

# # #

About PHASE 2 International

PHASE 2 is a partner and IBM Business Partner that delivers affordable and scalable access to high-end business software applications via a Software as a Service model. Ideal for businesses of all sizes, the hosted applications currently include IBM Notes, Sametime, Quickr and Connections. The hosted applications are delivered across the Web to enable on-demand access to corporate information whenever and wherever in the world users happen to be located. PHASE 2 is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii and operates a secure, state-of-the-art data center specifically certified in accordance with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) which is a high level requirement for hosting federal government applications.  For more information visit www.phase2.com.

About Alacrinet Consulting, Inc

Alacrinet Consulting Services is a leading information technology consulting firm serving clients throughout the United States. Alacrinet is an elite team of highly skilled consultants covering the gamut of the IBM product families with broad architectural knowledge, deep technical skills, and access to product managers, developers and product support personnel from within IBM.  For more information visit www.alacrinet.com.

IBM announces Social Business Webinar for November 1, 2011 @ 2PM ET.

See how Russell’s Convenience and Newly Weds Foods are putting social to work

The era of social collaboration is here. Across industries, business leaders are driving initiatives that strategically integrate social collaboration tools with business processes. Being a social business means that you embrace technology to enhance relationships between employees, customers, and partners – and as a result, things can get done more quickly and effectively, potentially delivering an unprecedented return for the time invested.

Using IBM cloud collaboration services to become social can help your organization transform business. Employees can collaborate reliably with each other and with customers and suppliers in a single place, across firewalls with no-cost guest accounts. They can securely store and share files, manage projects seamlessly, and host online meetings—all through one easy-to-use dashboard.

During this webinar, you will learn how Russell’s Convenience is going social to:

• Cut travel costs by 33%
• Increase sales in multiple markets
• Solve problems and complete projects faster with 24 locations

And you will hear how Newly Weds Foods is leveraging the cloud to:

• Speed communication response rates from days to hours
• Connect with customers to build deeper relationships
• Link colleagues in 27 plants around the world

Speakers

Ann-Marie Darrough, North America Business Unit Executive, IBM Corporation
Josie Faycurry, Sales Leader, IBM Social Business Cloud Offerings
Tom Simmons, Business Analytics Practice Lead, Alacrinet Consulting Services
Raymond Huff, President, HJB Convenience Corporation dba Russell’s Convenience
Bob Brindza, SOA Business Analyst, Newly Weds Foods

Click here to register.

For some reason, I have not heard too much about Lotusphere 2012.  It is into October, and I usually start seeing more information going out.  For 2012, Lotusphere is planned for January 15-20.  This is IBM’s premier Collaboration, Social Business, and Portal event of the year.

This year, I am sure there will be a huge focus on mobility, social business, and cloud.  We hear at least two of these topics with almost every customer.  I am also seeing many more RFIs and RFPs requesting Cloud-based services.  Companies that trimmed IT staff in 2008 and 2009 are not looking to hire again.  They need cloud-based solutions to meet these needs.

I also hope that there is a bigger focus on WebSphere Portal as the Social Business platform.  I understand that Connections is the cool, it thing for IBM, but Portal is the platform that makes it all happen.  Portal, combined with Connections is a platform that few if any can match.  You can customize the portal to provide a unique personalized experience, while limiting the customization you need to do to products like Connections, email, CRM apps, etc.  Let’s hope we hear more of that story in 2012.

To read more about Lotusphere 2012, click here.

It was a pleasant surprise to see that IBM is including certain services from IBM Connections with the Lotus Notes 8.5.3 release.  This is a very important development.  These services by themselves would be more than a company is likely to pay for the Lotus Notes CAL renewal.

This is not to minimize the great services that you do get.  Lotus Notes 8.5.3 entitles users to free use of IBM Connections micro-blogging, profiles, and file sharing.  Most clients have Lotus Notes licenses for the entire organization, so this means that an organization has a complete organizational directory that allows users to: