The document provides a brief history of IBM Connections/HCL Connections, tracing the development of the product from its origins in 2007 to the present. It notes the key releases, features added, and reasons for adoption over time. The product launched in 2007 as Lotus Connections to enable social networking in the workplace. Major releases added new collaboration tools, support for external users, and mobile access. The ownership transferred to HCL Technologies in 2019 with the release of version 6.5 focusing on an always-available sidebar and integrated activity management software.
Agentic RAG What it is its types applications and implementation.pdf
History of Connections
1. A brief history of
Connections
The why’s, the when’s, the who’s
#engageug
2. #engageug
Wannes Rams
• Senior Consultant and Cloud Architect
Europe at ISW
• Lives in Belgium and Sweden
• 20 years in the Collaboration space
• Board Member of LetsConnect, the
Connections and DX User Group
• Chairman of Penumbra
• HCL Master
• Plays Table tennis
3. #engageug
Maria Nordin
• Senior Consultant and Cloud Architect
Europe at ISW
• Lives in Sweden and Belgium
• 20 years in the Collaboration space
• Board Member of LetsConnect, the
Connections and DX User Group
• Member of Penumbra
• Knows how to … something
• HCL Master
5. Then came the why
2007
According to the industry analyst firm Forrester, social software tools will become so much a part of
the fabric of an enterprise's collaborative environment that it will be like air -- enterprises won't be
able to imagine life without it. Further, according to Forrester, the demand for social software tools
is growing with usage rates of social software services almost doubling between 2005 and 2006.
#engageug
6. IBM identified
“Common business use objectives”
Some of the most common business uses for social software include helping organizations:
• Work more effectively across countries and time zones
• Bring together expertise from multiple sites/countries
• Reduce travel costs
• Bring innovations to market more quickly
• Deliver projects in less time
• Resolve problems more quickly
• Retain more of the experience of people leaving the company/retirees
• Enable those working in new roles to get up to speed faster
• Build communities of practice to foster and share key areas of knowledge
• Improve staff retention
• Work more closely with customers and suppliers
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7. #engageug
“And you thought social
networking was all about text-
messaging among bored
teenagers.”
”..unlock the latent
expertise in an
organisation.”
”… meet like-minded
colleagues within the
company and
exchange ideas with
them.” “social software tools that will
bring the kind of blogging, idea
sharing and war-story swapping
typically associated with
MySpace and Facebook..”
8. Connections 1 is born
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Release date June 29, 2007
Project “Ventura”
Social networking to the
workfloor
First vendor to combine a
toolset
ORLANDO, FL - 22 Jan 2007: At Lotusphere today, IBM
announced Lotus Connections, the industry's first platform
for business-grade social computing. Lotus Connections
facilitates the gathering and exchange of information
through professional networks, provides a dashboard-like
view of current projects and connects users to like-minded
communities. In addition, Lotus Connections removes the
need for multiple social software applications, providing
businesses with a single destination for building
professional communities.
14. Connections 2.5 - Social Profiles
• #engageug
• So much more than
“employee whitepages”.
View colleague’s skills,
background, current status,
published files and contacts.
• Post updates and comments
on their wall.
• Tap into the knowledge
capital within your
organisation.
• Expand your personal
network – develop and
maintain personal
relationship outside
departments, geography etc.
• Find people by clicking on
the cross-organisation tag
cloud.
21. #engageug
Version 3 – news for the user
• Forums – New!
Forums is our newest application being introduced in Lotus Connections
3.0, providing a place to brainstorm and collect feedback on topics that
are relevant to you and your colleagues.
The Forums application can also be used to start discussions about a
specific topic or debate solutions to shared problems.
By participating in a Forum, you can exchange ideas, ask questions, and
leverage the expertise of other people in your organization.
22. #engageug
Version 3.0.1
April 2011
• Dropping the Lotus Brand
• Media Library
• Ideation
• Mobile Improvements
• Integration in Portal &
Sharepoint
25. #engageug
A dedicated UserGroup for
Connections is born
First Social Connections conference is held
July 2011 London
First and only dedicated User group for Connections
26. #engageug
Version 4
September 2012
• Activity Stream, Embedded Experience, Intergrated Mail & Calendaring
• Expand Openness in IBM Connections. Bring collaboration to the user’s context.
30. Version 4.5
Marc 2013
• Introducing the ”beast” CCM
• Apps for Communities
• 2 factor Authentication
30#engageug
https://www.kudosapps.com/kudos-tools-ccm-migrator
33. #engageug
Version 5
A BIG RELEASE
June 2014
• External users! Invite and collaborate with anyone in the world
• Take your files with you with the desktop file plug-in
• Community landing page
46. #engageug
Version 6.5
HCL Connections
September 2019
Sidebar: An always-on slide-out dashboard, which gives your users access to Connections from anywhere in your IT
environment. A lifeline to your network. Employees spend 2.5 hours every day searching for the information and expertise
needed to do their jobs. Put a different way, if you hired 5 employees, only 4 would be doing actual work. Connections Sidebar
will help change this.
Activities Plus: Connections now includes Activities Plus by Kudos to give lightweight activity and task management software
to every employee. Any user can now easily and automatically organize tasks, teamwork, projects, and timelines directly from
within their Connections environment ... and it’s included for free when you install the Connections 6.5 Component Pack.