Web 2.0: Enterprises Are Still Lagging

Clearly everyone has heard of the recent hype of wikis, mashups, social networking, and even Second Life. The real question remains; are organizations and enterprises taking full advantage of the interactivity and file-sharing applications made available through Web 2.0? We all remember the difficult transition of IM for organizations, even though it was used on a regular basis for people in their personal lives. Now IM has become an enterprise necessity; most organizations use IM and claim that it is valuable to their everyday operations.

Andy Dornan’s lastest news article Growing Pains: Can Web 2.0 Evolve Into An Enterprise Technology goes on to cite specific examples from c-level executives highlighting the value created by the collaborative nature of Web 2.0 applications.

Wikis are continually being used to provide affordable and effective intranets for organizations. Aaron Hathaway, CIO at investment bank Prager, Sealy & Co. seems to agree with that concept:

“It’s awful having an artificial distinction between a wiki and a CMS,” he says. In common with most of the users in our poll, he sees wikis as having greater use within enterprises than other Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs. Wikis’ other big attraction is that, in keeping with their collaborative nature, almost all of them are free.

Organizations can not leave their Content Management Systems just yet, but it will be interesting to watch the role of wikis and where it will take enterprises within the next couple of years.

Social networking receives the most skepticism, but is widely used by many industries. Research and surveys show that the younger executives reaching middle management actually prefer user-generated content and connections over other traditional media. When will all enterprises realize this truth and begin incorporating this form of communication into their business strategy? Jason Blessing, general manager of the small and midsize business division at recruitment service provider Taleo has his own opinions on social networking:

“We have great expectations for Facebook. The thing we really like is that it has a heritage from the top universities, and it’s a place where the Gen Y’s or millennials like to hang out.”

Creating social networking sites focusing on an industry, sport, or specific niche will definitely bring in loyal users, but the question Andy Dornan brings up still remains…

Do we buy dedicated social networking technology or wait until it becomes a standard feature of Web servers and hosting services?

As mentioned in my opening statement, IM has slowly become a critical part of business. Most organizations use it, but some still are left in the dark. There is a question that comes to mind when thinking about IM services. Do we use the same free platform used by teenagers, or do we adopt a different system brought by big name players like IBM or Microsoft?. Public IM services might merge victorious in this battle, since many are integrated into cell phones already.

Organizations have their work cut out for them. Web 2.0 applications and software are constantly evolving and becoming more innovative. The way to stay ahead in this game is to continuously improve interactivity and maximize collaboration efforts. Many companies have begun to cut IT staff due to the growing trend of Web 2.0. Where will this take IT pros in the future? Only time will tell…