Though they all try to sell to enterprises, some vendors such as Pringo Networks and Kick Apps are finding that their largest market is niche sites, where social networking is an end in itself. These sites are essentially in the media business, with business models based on selling ads. They're betting that users will ultimately be more loyal to sites narrowly focused on an industry, sports team or hobby than a giant network that anyone can join. The relatively few vendors focused on social networking for use within an enterprise intranet, such as Awareness Networks and Tacit, often provide these features as part of a larger Web 2.0 suite that includes blogs and wikis.
When database vendor Endeca wanted to roll out a social networking site aimed at customers and system integrators, it rejected off-the-shelf software in favor of a home-grown system, enlisting open-source consultancy Optaros to help. Colby Dyeff, Endeca's IT manager, says none of the turnkey platforms offered enough customizable feedback features to rate users or content.
"We found that ratings are a very simple way to get lurkers involved," he says. "Then when people are ready to contribute, it encourages them to say something more valuable."
But though enthusiastic about social networking for customers, Endeca isn't convinced that it has a role to play internally. "We're still holding off on what the ROI is for our own employees contributing," Dyeff says. "It's hard to say if that's a valuable use of their time."
Many of Endeca's contributors are system integrators selling their expertise, giving them a direct financial incentive to be highly rated. But the same lessons can apply to social networks elsewhere, where rating content is also a way to help people find others with similar interests or locate related information. The former isn't much use within an enterprise, but the latter could be, especially given the poor state of enterprise search compared with the big Internet search engines. Search algorithms based on numbers of hyperlinks or clicks don't always scale down to an intranet, especially when information is buried inside databases or Office documents rather than HTML pages. The theory is that by rating and tagging information on an intranet, users can help sort information, doing for enterprise search what hyperlinks do for Google.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
