More Web 2.0 Stories, Part One: Cisco Goes All Out on Enterprise 2.0
by Bill Ives
I heard through the Connectbeam blog about a story from Money.com covered by Mike Gotta about Cisco’s foray into enterprise 2.0. As reported in Money.com, “Cisco launched a website that is a microcosm of everything evoked by the phrase “Web 2.0.” There’s a Ciscopedia, where people can build an evolving body of lore about anything fellow Ciscans might want to know. Intel has been doing this for a while with their Intelpedia, I wonder how many other enterprises have their own wikipedia?
At the Cisco site there are also text blogs and video blogs, discussion groups, and “problems and solutions links.” There’s an internal version of MySpace, which provides not only title and contact info but also personal profiles, job histories, interests, and videos. Soon it will show whether a person is reachable by, say, office phone, cell, IM, or telepresence, and offer a one-click connection. “We’re going to use social bookmarking to allow us to take the pulse of the organization,” says Jim Grubb, who built the website.”
What about mashups, they have almost everything else? I am sure they must use them also. They use enterprise 2.0 in other ways. Cisco set up an internal wiki called I-Zone that has so far generated 400 business ideas. “Better still,” says Marthin De Beer who set it up, “another 10,000 people have added to those ideas.” And some people say that enterprise 2.0 will not help an organization? Cisco is looking to go beyond its traditional business products to remain competitive. Tapping into the wisdom of more of its employees is a good way to do this. Another enterprise 2.0 success story is revealed here.
