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Two European financial firms argue that Cisco's $3 billion bid for video conferencing rival Tandberg is too low considering its performance and stock price. The opposition from Panta Capital and Scott Associates comes three days before Cisco's Nov. 9 deadline on the deal, and joins stockholders with about 30 percent of Tandberg shares in saying the bid is too low. Cisco officials have called the offer fair.
Mozilla Thunderbird 3 Offers Tabbed E-Mail, Filtered Search
Mozilla will introduce a new version of Thunderbird, its open-source e-mail application, in mid-November. Built on the same rendering platform as Firefox 3.1, Thunderbird 3 will include features such as tabbed e-mail, filtered search and a one-click address book.
Siemens Demos Twitter in UC App
At the VoiceCon 2009 show in San Francisco, officials with the Siemens Enterprise Communications Group will show off the upcoming integration of Twitter with the company’s OpenScape UC application. The demo is the latest example of the growing presence of social networking programs in business, improving not only communication between workers, but also between companies and their customers.
Novell Pulse Launches with Google Wave Support for Real-Time Collaboration
Novell launches Pulse, a real-time collaboration platform designed from its inception to work with Google Wave through the platform's federation protocol. Similar to Wave, Pulse includes instant messaging, live document authoring and editing, and social networking tools. But unlike Wave, Pulse features the security, management and compliance capabilities required by businesses. Novell executives showed how Pulse communicates with Wave at the Enterprise 2.0 show in San Francisco.
Second Life Takes Virtual Reality Behind the Firewall at IBM, Navy
Linden Lab Nov. 4 launched Second Life Enterprise, a behind-the-firewall version of its 3D virtual world software. Linden Lab has loaded Second Life on a server for IBM, Northrup Grumman and the U.S. Navy to test in a beta. Second Life Enterprise includes LDAP integration, intranet-grade authentication and central access controls for protecting proprietary information and managing content created in the 3D worlds. Linden Lab is also building a marketplace to let its third-party programmers sell their enterprise applications and virtual goods.
Google Wave Open for Federation Among Other Wave Providers
Google makes its Google Wave Federation Protocol available to let would-be Wave providers build their own Wave servers and get them communicating with other Wave servers, similar to the way e-mail servers talk to one another. This federation would ideally pave the way to making Wave ubiquitous, making it more available for future users. But given the learning curve stumping early users of Wave, how many programmers will want to build their own Wave servers? That remains to be seen.
Cisco Lays Out Risks, Rewards in Tandberg Bid
With the deadline for its $3 billion bid for video conferencing rival Tandberg approaching and reports swirling that it will drop its offer, Cisco is looking to define the debate in terms of risk and rewards. Acquiring Tandberg can help Cisco build up its video collaboration capabilities, but there are also risks involved, including trying to buy and integrate its first European company, according to a blog by Cisco executive Ned Hooper.
PBworks, Watchitoo Crave Google Wave's Real-Time Collaboration Hype
Looking to capitalize on the rush of Google Wave excitement, PBworks and Watchitoo Nov. 2 launched real-time collaboration platforms for business users. PBworks' real-time collaboration update lets users conduct instant messaging, live editing of documents and, eventually, voice conferences. PBworks provides asynchronous editing, allowing users to edit a document without others intruding. Watchitoo provides some of the same functionality but with a heavier emphasis on social networking.
Xobni Enterprise Launches as Salve for Corporate Microsoft Outlook
Xobni Nov. 2 took the plunge into the business market, releasing a version of its e-mail search plug-in to let IT administrators give their employees an easy way to sift through content in their Microsoft Outlook inboxes. Xobni Enterprise is shipping with prebuilt extensions for Salesforce CRM and Microsoft SharePoint, enabling Xobni to pull in info from those apps. Corporate developers can bring other enterprise data and applications from SAP, Oracle and other providers into Outlook through the Xobni client.
Google Beats Microsoft in the E-Mail Battle of Los Angeles
Google won the battle with Microsoft for the right to move Los Angeles' 30,000 municipal employees to its e-mail system, knocking out Novell's GroupWise platform for the $7.25 million contract. The city plans to complete implementation of the Google system by June and will begin with a pilot period during which a limited number of employees will test the system. However, the contract comes with a caveat. Google must compensate the city if its e-mail service is breached and data is stolen. The Los Angeles Council voted to add the penalty provision 9-3. Consumer advocates applauded this motion.
Jive Builds Social Software Bridges to Microsoft Office, Apple iPhone
Jive Software Oct. 28 released Social Business Suite 4.0, building a bridge to Microsoft Office and prompting Jive CEO Dave Hersh to claim that Jive is essentially turning Microsoft Office into Google Docs. Jive, which like rivals MindTouch, Socialtext, Awareness and IBM believes that the lines between social software and collaboration software have blurred, also lets users view and reply to comments made in the browser directly from the plug-in in Microsoft Office. Jive is also offering modules that let the social software run on Apple's iPhone and RIM BlackBerry.
REVIEW: Liaise Beta Falls Short on Attempt to Boost Outlook Productivity
Liaise is a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook designed to ease task and project management for individuals and teams through e-mail. The product shows some promise, but performance and other issues may make it more hinderance than help.
The Google, Microsoft Data Portability Duel
Google and Microsoft Oct. 26 made key moves to their messaging and collaboration applications in the name of data portability. Google has begun allowing users to export multiple Google Docs at the same time. Microsoft released documentation for the .pst file format for its Microsoft Office Outlook e-mail application. Google said such features are geared to let users control their data, whether they choose to house it in Google's cloud computing environment, or move it elsewhere. Paul Lorimer, group manager for Microsoft Office Interoperability, said Microsoft wants to make .pst files actionable for programmers using messaging applications other than Outlook.
New Tandberg Profile Telepresence Product Aimed at SMBs
Tandberg is showing the expertise in video conferencing for smaller businesses that got Cisco interested in buying it. The company is unveiling its Profile 42” system for smaller conference rooms and SMBs, which Tandberg officials say will be an important market for the company as the global economy improves.
IBM, Ubuntu Cloud Collaboration Package Seeks to Cut Down Microsoft Windows 7
In time for the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system Oct. 22, IBM released an Ubuntu Linux-based hybrid cloud computing and desktop solution for businesses looking to save some money by taking the hosted software and open-source route. IBM said its Client for Smart Work package is geared to help companies save up to 50 percent per seat on software costs versus a Microsoft-based desktop.
Zoho Builds Bridge Between Projects Application and Google Apps
Zoho Oct. 19 let Zoho users sign into the Zoho Projects application with their Google Apps account information and upload files from Google Docs to Zoho Projects and sync Projects meetings with Google Calendar. Users will also be able to embed info from Projects directly inside Gmail, iGoogle and the Google Sites wiki application. This is the latest bridge Zoho has built between its applications and Google Apps as the companies target the traditional on-premises collaboration software market, which includes Microsoft and IBM.
Google's Going Google Ad Campaign Expands in U.S., Ventures Overseas
Google is bringing its Going Google advertising initiative for Google Apps to train stations, airports, and print and online publications in the U.S., as well as in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Singapore and the U.K. The expansion of Going Google comes days after Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he had green-lit the enterprise team for aggressive expansion into 2010, which could include some acquisitions of technology and talent in addition to the organic growth of the talent pool.
More Businesses Adopting Advanced Collaboration Tools: Survey
A survey conducted by Frost Sullivan and sponsored by Cisco and Verizon finds that a growing number of businesses big and small are adopting advanced collaboration tools, such as VOIP, immersive video and fixed mobile convergence. Budget pressures and the environment are key drivers, and respondents say the technologies are improving. A growing number of businesses plan to continue investing in the technologies despite the struggling economy.
Twitter Selling Wine for a Good Cause
Twitter, the micro-blogging site with explosive growth over the past few years, is moving into a new and unusual venture: selling its own brand of wine. Instead of bolstering its bottom line, though, most of the revenues will go to charity. Popular with consumers, Twitter has also been increasingly embraced by the enterprise, with companies such as Salesforce.com incorporating the Web site into their analytics and service platforms.
Cisco Has Few Choices in Tandberg Bid, Analyst Says
Now that Tandberg shareholders have rejected Cisco Systems' $3 billion bid, the networking giant has to decide whether to up its offer or walk away. Frost Sullivan analyst Roopam Jain says she believes the upside of acquiring is too great for Cisco to drop its pursuit, so she expects the company to sweeten its offer for Tandberg, which makes video conferencing equipment. Cisco officials are refusing to comment, citing the current tender offer on the table.