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Vendor Landscape: Collaboration Platforms

Integration and user immersion feed directly to the bottom line.

  • The adoption of collaboration platforms is rapidly accelerating. Not all platforms are created equally, and choosing the right platform can be a daunting task in a market with many emerging new features, like social collaboration, file synchronization, and shifting delivery options.
  • Collaboration platforms are not an island and must integrate well with other major enterprise applications such as CRM, ERP, ECM, and desktop productivity tools.
  • This solution set will help you understand and identify collaboration opportunities that exist within your organization, identify leading vendors and compare capabilities, and select the right solution to implement.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Tools chosen by the user have staying power: With so many freemium collaboration options available, shadow IT likely abounds in your environment. Don’t waste these experiences. Leverage this user choice and the free trials available to inform tool selection and make a confident investment.
  • Value = Engagement: Identify the specific use cases and value propositions a tool should fulfill for users before selecting or introducing a tool even as a trial. IT and the business need to clearly communicate the tangible value of a tool to gain user engagement.
  • Immersion is the mother of adoption: Tools that integrate with current business processes and applications and create multiple experiences for users will be more likely to stick. Look for tool capabilities that immerse the user in productive ways.

Impact and Result

  • Understand what’s new in the enterprise collaboration market and how the ongoing convergence of traditional feature sets with social capabilities is enabling a new generation of collaboration solutions.
  • Evaluate collaboration platform vendors and products for your enterprise needs.
  • Determine which products are most appropriate for particular use cases and scenarios.

Vendor Landscape: Collaboration Platforms Research & Tools

1. Evaluate the leading solutions for mid-market collaboration platforms

Understand the market and available options.

2. Identify the mid-market collaboration platform solution that best meets your needs

Develop a shortlist to speed the selection process.

3. Issue an RFP to the shortlist of vendors

Solicit responses from shortlisted vendors to find optimal enterprise fit.

4. Review RFP winners

Ensure that selected proponents can deliver when it counts.

Vendor Landscape: Collaboration Platforms preview picture

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A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

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Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 3 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation 1:
  • Call 1: Shortlist Assistance and Requirements

    Get off to a productive start: Discuss the market space and how vendors are evaluated. Decide which platform suits you best and narrow down the options based on customized requirements.

Guided Implementation 2:
  • Call 1: RFP and Budget Review

    Interpret and act on RFP results: Review vendors’ RFPs and ensure the solution will meet your needs. Discuss average pricing of solutions and what can fit into your budget.

Guided Implementation 3:
  • Call 1: Negotiation and Contract Review

    Purchase optimization: Review contracts and discuss best practices in negotiation tactics to get the best price for your solution.

Authors

Brad Wells

Erik Reid

Contributors

  • Philips
  • 3M
  • Humana
  • Jive
  • Socialcast
  • Interactive Intelligence
  • 3 anonymous contributors
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