Everybody needs smarter collaboration for a smarter planet

 

For 16 years the annual gathering of IBM Lotus^® software customers, experts and business partners has been a pivotal moment for the collaboration and productivity software industry. It's where the latest technologies and breakthroughs come to light and where one of the most loyal and focused software communities works (and plays) together to move collaboration software into the future. The event has racked up tens of thousands in attendance through its history and it has become one of, if not the, premier event in the industry. Not bad for what some still think of as a very big and successful user group meeting. It is. But it's more than that, and today its relevance reaches beyond Lotus software customers and partners because the planet has become a lot smarter than it was in 1993.

Are we smarter where it counts?

The planet is more instrumented, intelligent and interconnected than ever. And yet, we struggle to take advantage of those advances where it may count most – where we work.

• Over five hours per employee per week are wasted because of inefficient processes.
• Two-thirds of employees believe there are colleagues who can help them do their jobs better, but they don't know how to find them.
• Forty-two percent of people say they are forced to make decisions with the wrong information at least once a week. ¹

That type of performance won't stand in a world where changes come at lightning pace; customer and supply chain demands shift too quickly and unpredictably; information is exploding all around us; and we have to do more with less due to a constrained and turbulent economy. It's no wonder that 91% of CEOs surveyed say they need to restructure the way their organizations work. ²

Attending Lotusphere^® 2010 can show you new ways to work better and faster – to work smarter – even if you are not yet a Lotus software customer or business partner.

For example, maybe you are…

Totally new to Lotus software?

It might be time to explore what Lotus and advanced collaboration has to offer. Take Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc. in Japan. It relied on e-mail, mailing lists and file servers to communicate among departments and organizations. This collection of resources wasn't up to the task. Decisions were being made based on out-of-date and incorrect information; customer service and satisfaction were declining along with employee productivity. The answer was a company-wide collaboration platform built on IBM Lotus software. The platform enables faster, more accurate inter-departmental information sharing through integrated e-mail, calendaring, collaborative document management and portal technologies. As a result, Chubu can now rapidly develop project and team-based web sites that accelerate information sharing and improve decision making. Productivity is up and now Chubu can develop new, high-value products faster that address energy needs and environmental issues.

Lotusphere features a number of break-out sessions specifically focused on UC2™, the IBM communications and collaboration platform, as well as real-time collaboration technologies. There is plenty of value for 'newbies.' The sessions cover everything from a collaboration strategy to deployment techniques to integrating with your existing telephony infrastructure as well as market-leading telephony provider solutions. And Lotusphere is one of the very few events where you will find an equal gathering of collaboration and communications experts and telephony leaders.

Back to top

An IBM software customer, but not a Lotus software customer?

Integrating collaborative solutions into your IBM software project or environment can help these efforts deliver greater value. Indian insurer, Reliant Life, is combining the flexibility of an SOA, business component-based self-service solution with the productivity and ease of use of IBM WebSphere^® Portal software. Reliant created a "virtual office" portal where its customers, partners and employees could get the information they need when they need it. The combined solution reduces redundant processes and can help Reliant react almost instantly to customer needs – a critical edge in a fast and competitive insurance market. It reduces the time to get new products to market, improves customer service and increases efficiencies by using the process automation of an SOA-driven portal to rapidly adapt workflows to changing needs.

New for Lotusphere 2010 – an entire content track dedicated to WebSphere Portal. This track is for those focused on learning everything about exceptional web experiences and how they can add value to a spectrum of IT projects. The portal track will cover everything from what's new in the latest version of WebSphere Portal to successful development, deployment and integration strategies and techniques. Many of the sessions in the track will include customer examples, so you can see how portal solutions deliver real business value.

A business partner looking to broaden your customer base and boost the bottom line?

And that goes for partners currently working with IBM software and those looking to get started. It also goes for ISVs as well as integrators and resellers. From the ISV side, there are companies like Opus Neo and their Lotus software-based intranet solution, Neo-dashboard. It's helping auto importer Selmer Group reduce development and on-going costs by 50% with content management capabilities built on IBM Lotus Quickr™ software. IT consultants, Metaware, helped travel agency La Vacanza integrate IBM Lotus Sametime^® instant messaging into its web site. La Vacanza provides personal, responsive service to up to 20% of customers upon first contact through instant messaging and IBM Lotus Domino^® content management helps non-technical staff update content on the site quickly and easily.

Lotusphere 2010 dedicates an entire day to the enablement and profitability of business partners of all kinds. Business Development Day provides a full, one-day agenda for partners to define the rich market opportunity that exists with Lotus and WebSphere Portal software and to explore and learn the tools, training and programs offered to help partners compete, make money and succeed.

There's much more.

Maybe you're an SAP shop. Did you know that you can bring your SAP business process into the Lotus Notes client to create a more familiar, productive, compliant and less costly work environment? Or you're a Microsoft Sharepoint proponent, but you're hearing that Lotus might be the better way to go. Or you're looking to leverage cloud computing. Or you want develop mashups faster and easier. Or you want to bring the speed and productivity of social computing to your business environment. Or you want to consolidate your collaboration and communication to improve performance while reducing costs.

There a lot of very good reasons to attend Lotusphere, being a Lotus customer is just one of them.