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IBM

Natalie Gagliordi

Until 2021, Natalie Gagliordi was a senior writer for Red Ventures based in Louisville, Kentucky, covering business technology for ZDNET.

Latest Posts

Collaboration Loop: Lotusphere 2006 Impressions: The Future of Notes is...Notes

Collaboration Loop: Lotusphere 2006 Impressions: The Future of Notes is...Notes

Burton Group's Peter O'Kelly is writinga five-part series on Collaboration Loop about Lotusphere 2006...WithLotusphere 2006, IBM made it resoundingly clear that the future of Notesis indeed Notes.  The Hannover version of Notes, expected during 2007(after wide beta testing in 2006) will have complete application compatibilitywith earlier releases of Notes (going back to late 1989, when Notes 1.0was released) as well as a familiar experience for both users and developers,but it will be built on Eclipse.org-derived rich client technology (aswill Sametime 7.5, expected during mid-2006), giving Notes its most significantuser interface update in a decade.  ... To recap, the future of Notes, as recently as three years ago, was a fairlydismal projection, essentially relegated to a plug-in shim to enable limitedNotes application integration for the Workplace client (Notes forms andviews, to be precise).  With Lotusphere 2006, IBM has made it veryclear that the Notes client is still its central focus for communication/collaboration,and that IBM is investing accordingly in development, marketing, and sales.Forsure, I like that part about investing accordingly in sales. ;) Link: CollaborationLoop: Lotusphere 2006 Impressions: The Future of Notes is...Notes >

February 2, 2006 by in Enterprise Software

CRN: Demand Generator: Mitchell Kleinman, CCS Technology Solutions; The Client: Chick´s Sporting Goods

CRN: Demand Generator: Mitchell Kleinman, CCS Technology Solutions; The Client: Chick´s Sporting Goods

Story of why one customer migrated fromExchange to Domino....The first step was upgrading Chick'se-mail system and consolidating its Compaq servers running Microsoft software."We were on Microsoft Exchangeand having multiple problems with that," Diebold said. "They[CCS] came to us and said, 'Now you have AS400, and [IBM Lotus] Dominois native on the 400.' They came with the recommendation to convert usto Lotus."CCS replaced Chick's system with anIBM iSeries system running IBM Lotus Notes and Domino. "We wanted less paper in the officeand a more streamlined workflow that Domino would allow us to do when wegot the resources and the time to implement those things," Dieboldsaid.Link: CRN:Demand Generator: Mitchell Kleinman, CCS Technology Solutions; The Client:Chick's Sporting Goods >

February 2, 2006 by in Microsoft

Now that´s about as "Red Bull" of a Microsoft spin as I´ve ever seen

Now that´s about as "Red Bull" of a Microsoft spin as I´ve ever seen

Microsoftprogram manager Erik Ashby attempts to spin out of a hole:Oneof those tools we announced was the Microsoft Application Analyzer 2006for Lotus Domino.  We said this tool would be available in the firstquarter of 2006.  The tool is currently in a private beta with a numberof customers, and we are receiving good feedback on it.  On that day,we realized we had erroneously posted the link of this private beta onour public site.  We've removed the link for now. Forthose amnesics out there, let's review how we found out about the new versionof the Application Analyzer in the first place.  Do these look likean attempt to manage a "private beta"? December28, 2005 entry on Rui J.M. Silva's msmvps.com blogJanuary16, 2006 entry on Roberdan's blog,referencing the 13 January release of the Application Analyzer 2006 betabink.nuentry on January 5 December22, 2005 entry on Microsoft employee John Westworth's blog,saying the beta has been "just released"And of course, today's Ashby posting completely contradicts theexplanation offered by Westworthjust a few days ago that "it'sreached the end of it's BETA life cycle". Let's call this one like it is: PaulMooney's review of the beta that was "erroneously posted"clearly identifies so many issues with this tool that Microsoft can't simplyship and go.  But do they think that Paul andothers won't just tackle thetool again when it is final? It's your turn, Erik Ashby.  Spin again.

February 2, 2006 by in Microsoft

The Hindu: Carrying Lotus files on a thumb drive

The Hindu: Carrying Lotus files on a thumb drive

The first-ever reporter from India to coverLotusphere live, Anand Parthasarathy reports on his journey to Orlando:Yet,all these seemingly trivial tools of electronic 'social networking', arebeing increasingly moulded into 'hardened' versions by corporate collaboration-and-communicationtools that are collectively known as 'groupware'. And unsurprisingly, the mother of allgroupware solutions -- the combo of the Lotus Notes messaging client andthe Domino server -- is today, the most mature corporate 'avatar' of thesemass consumer tools. At the recent gathering in Orlando,U.S., of 6000 Lotus programmers, developers and partners, one could seewhy personal and business-driven communication seem to merge seamlesslyinto one environment; how Instant Messaging is the core driver, with livechat, blogs, `wikis', even the ubiquitous USB thumb drive, the mobile phoneand the iPod, forming part of tomorrow's enterprise systems. The venue -- in the middle of the DisneyWorld -- seemed to underline the coming together of youthful tools andhardcore business objectives. Certainly a metaphoricaltake on Lotusphere.Link: TheHindu: Carrying Lotus files on a thumb drive >

February 2, 2006 by in Enterprise Software

Workforce Insights: Telecommuting: Why Managing People You Can´t See Is Visionary

Workforce Insights: Telecommuting: Why Managing People You Can´t See Is Visionary

Asmany of you know, my work environment is such that when I'm not travellingto customers or conferences, I work from my residence.  This homeoffice setup has been in place for over five years, through four differentjobs within IBM Lotus.  While I realize it doesn't work as a workstyle for everyone, for me it's been a great way to adapt my job to theway that I personally function best. A few weeks ago, a few of my Lotus colleagues and I were interviewed abouttelecommuting.  Ironically, the interview took place on the firstday that I was sick with my January ailments...illustrating that the conceptof a "sick day" is disappearing in the new world of work.  Whenyou don't work in an office to begin with, what does "out of the office"mean?  For me, it meant as many calls as I could muster in betweenrest periods and attempts to recover. Still, the benefits of telecommuting are immeasurable, and I find it difficultto ever imagine going back to a traditional office environment.  OfIBM's 300,000 worldwide employees, 40 percent have no office at the company.IBM equips the home offices of all employees, whether they telecommutepart- or full-time, a small price to pay for $100 million savings in on-siteoffice costs. With employees abandoning their cubes since IBM introduced telecommutingas an option in 1995, telecommuting has become an integral part of IBM'sculture. Coworkers rely on IBM technology, including IBM Lotus SametimeInstant Messaging and Web conferencing, to stay connected. ... Attracting the best talent is another key benefit. "It's all aboutfinding the right employees. With location not a barrier, it allows usto excel," says Penny Scharfman, program director, Lotus Notes andDomino products, who has managed a staff of remote employees for five yearsfrom her office in Cambridge, Mass, where she spends 80 percent of hertime. "You really do learn to let go of the need for face-to-facecontact," she says.Link: WorkforceInsights: Telecommuting: Why Managing People You Can't See Is Visionary>

February 2, 2006 by in Tech & Work

Chicago, February 16: Customer Evangelism- Customer Loyalty Is Not Enough

Chicago, February 16: Customer Evangelism- Customer Loyalty Is Not Enough

On Thursday, February 16, I'll be participatingin a panel discussion called "Customer Evangelism: Customer LoyaltyIs Not Enough" for the Business Marketing Association of Chicago. The other panelists are: Wes Shepherd, chief executive officer andfounder of Channel Velocity; Ben McConnell, author of Creating CustomerEvangelists; and Andy Sernovitz, founder of the Word of Mouth MarketingAssociation.  Should be interesting to discuss how you allare part of the network that supports, evangelizes, and promotes Notes& Domino (and, as appropriate, smacks IBM around too :).Details and registration information can be found on bmachicago.org. Thank you to MichaelKrauss for organizing andmoderating.  

January 31, 2006 by in Tech Industry

"The distance between IBM and me"

"The distance between IBM and me"

At the birds-of-a-feather entitled "TheLotus Blogging Community" last week, Mikkel Heisterberg made a commentthat is worth sharing with a broader audience.His comment was that, as a result ofthe blogosphere, "the distance between me and IBM has never beenshorter".His example is a good story.  Severalweeks ago, Mikkel wrote ablog about mailbox sizes in Domino. Though I wasn't reading his blog, blogdigger snared it for me....and it was off to the races.  I posted a comment asking Mikkel formore details about the support incident in question.  Once he e-mailedme, I involved KathleenMcGivney who involved SusanBulloch.  We quickly determinedthat he had been given erroneous data from Lotus support -- a seven-yearold technote that was actually marked internal anyway.  Not sure whythe support analyst chose to send this out, but it happened.With Kathleen and Susan's involvement,we were able to get a betterdocument to Mikkel for reference. We were able to get the support person to update the incident andprovide more useful information (for this, and for any future such calls). And we were able to get the erroneous information pulled from thesupport database.Mikkel's story is not the only exampleof his comment.  Part of the reason that this weblog helps me be successfulin my job is simply because of the direct connection to my customers.  It'snot even just me -- I've had engineers pore through comments here in thehopes of making their features better, executives rush to edbrill.com toread reactions to announcements, and product managers/marketing peopledraw ideas (good and bad) through the discussions here.  The numberof IBM eyes on this blog is huge -- about 5% of overall hit count.  Andthat's what makes things cool -- we as a company have another tool to interactwith you as a customer and partner community -- our "family". This is why I am trying to find waysto draw out new voices into the blogs -- the more the merrier.

January 31, 2006 by in IBM

Network World: Lotus lays out its future at Lotusphere kick-off

Network World: Lotus lays out its future at Lotusphere kick-off

Coverage from the first day of Lotusphere."Forthe record, there is no architectural shift involved [for Notes/Domino],it is pure growth with no regression," said [Lotus General ManagerMike] Rhodin. "There will be continued support for all Notes applications."Rhodin and IBM/Lotus executives alsotook a more aggressive stand in an on-going competition with Microsoft,often calling out the vendor during the general session keynote for itsperceived shortcomings in product and delivery schedules. "We have been the leader for 15years, and I have no intention of backing down," Rhodin said laterat a press conference.Analysts say Lotus's spunk is born fromheat applied by Microsoft, which is aggressively building out it collaborationplatform on the back of Office and real-time collaboration tools. "I was struck that Lotus feelsvery threatened by Microsoft," said David Ferris, president of FerrisResearch. Ferris said that Lotus, however, is infusing Notes/Domino withenough new and upgraded features that users who defect to Microsoft shouldfeel like they are missing out. Not sure if David isgoing to make my session in the morning, but for the record, I'm not feelingthreatened.  The gloves are off.  I do like the thought thatanyone who moves away from Lotus is missing out, though...Link: NetworkWorld: Lotus lays out its future at Lotusphere kick-off>

January 30, 2006 by in Microsoft

Blogging panel, BOF

Blogging panel, BOF

Yesterday afternoon, both the "Reachout and blog" panel and the Lotus blogging community birds-of-a-featherwere held.  Interestingly, a few people live blogged the panel, butnobody covered the BoF.  I was told it was because there was no wifiin the room...perhaps some of you have heard of replication........The BoF solidified one thing -- why I love my job.  This is my 8thLotusphere on staff, and I've never felt more relaxed and comfortable --with where IBM Lotus is at in the market, with the Notes/Domino products,with the community we've created.   Now, there were several valid points during the BoF that the communityseems a bit insular.  I'd say yes and no.  Gone are the dayswhere we'd conga-line-blog -- ten people writing on exactly the same topic(conferences excepted, of course).  On the other hand, I do see thesame names as constants commenting here and elsewhere.  This bloggot almost 13,000 pageviews on Monday, but only 100 comments.  I'dlike to find out more about what I can do to encourage more voices.  LauretteRynne made a couple of verygood points about time delay (she's down under in Oz) and comment volume-- that by the time that she sees a blog topic to comment on, everythingthat needs to be said has been said.  Still, I don't want an echochamber -- I'd like to be challenged more, professionally, and be exposedto a broader array of topics. It was great to see how comfortable the Lotus bloggers are with each other. I consider many of you my friends, even though we mainly see eachother infrequently at conferences.  The online presence, combinedwith instant messaging and e-mail, mean that I interact with many of youmore often than other groups of friends who live within a few miles ofhome.  There were several wisecracks and in-jokes -- I hope that wasn'ttoo important of a phone call, Greyhawk-- and in my own call back home last night, trying to explain about notwanting to lick the mic (Grey: "My name's mike") had me laughingfor several minutes. This morning features a customer meeting, "The Boss Loves Microsoft"with co-presenter Sara L Nagelvoort (the L is important) at 10 AM (in DolphinN Hemi D&E), and "How to 'sell' Notes/Domino inside your organization"with co-presenter Libby Ingrassia at 1:30 in Dolphin S. Hemi III.  Thenthe family arrives in time for SeaWorld.  It's going to be a knock-outday.

January 30, 2006 by in Tech & Work