business drivers and technical details
TRANSCRIPT
Toronto, June 6-7 2016
Business Drivers and Technical Details
Frank GulloSuperior Group
Victor ToalToalSystems
Who we areFrank GulloDirector of Digital & Mobile StrategyIBM Champion
Superior [email protected]
Victor ToalChief ArchitectIBM Champion
• Collaboration• Digital
marketing• Mobile• Social business• Web
• IBM Connections• Sametime• WebSphere• DB2• Notes and
Domino
About Superior Group• Premier provider of global
workforce and outsourcing solutions
• Service portfolio organized into three complementary verticals
Direct employees: 400+
Contract employees: 5000+
Locations:• 30+ locations in US and
Canada• 10 international offices
Business drivers - strategy to social
Superior didn’t set out to be a social business or use IBM Connections
• employees felt disconnected due to antiquated internal communication and collaboration tools
• need for brand consistency and a digital experience that reflected the company’s competitive strengths
• employees and customers demanded proactive digital solutions and continuous innovation
Why an enterprise social network?• Drive collaboration• Boost culture and community• Improve business processes• Surface expertise• Understand and engage customers• Social and cloud file sharing• Engage and satisfy employees• Extranet for customers and partners
Initial launch – March 2013• Connections 4.0 launched to all company
employees• Integrated with Active Directory so new and termed
employees added and removed automatically• Made available anywhere, in network, via mobile,
and secure Internet• Sametime instant messaging available anywhere
through client, app, and Connections• No VPN needed• No Desktop plugin• No external (non-employee) users
Connections circa March 2013
Infrastructure circa March 2013• IBM Connections 4.0• AD Directory services• Single application: PTO Request
Initial push - adoption• Focus on users and usage• Understand scenarios and goals• Executive sponsorship and evangelism• Cross-functional project team and ongoing
steering committee• User marketing and communication tactics to
promote adoption• Bottom up and top down techniques• Seed content and then regular updates
(contents and features)
Initial benefits realized• Reduced volume of email and network file usage.• Transition tool for legacy Quality and HR paper
and office documents. Quality has turned all its MS Word Training Matrix documents into Connections Activities.
• Digital Literacy through the introduction of modern business networking tools into the workplace, including social bookmarking, tagging, blogs, wikis, and social checklists/tasks.
• Increased efficiencies.• Reduction in paperwork.
Upgrade to Connections 5.0• Began upgrade in January 2015• Business and technology drivers:
• Upgrade to current software release• Improve search• Use new platform features (Libraries, @ mentions)• Implement external communities• Use upgrade to pilot third-party add-ons• Review and rebuild infrastructure• Rollout Desktop Plugin
• Release target was June 2015
Project• Formed Project Team• Executive sponsor – the CIO
– Team was cross-functional and cross-region– IT was involved from the start and embedded in core
team Communications, HR, IT, Legal, Marketing, Quality, Sales
– Developed project charter and mission– Secured internal and external support– Met and planned project
• Goals– Upgrade Connections 4.0 to 5.0– Establish steady-state support
Major tasks• Requisition of necessary software/hardware• Selection and onboarding of implementation partner (ToalSystems)• Setup of development and production environments• Integration with Active Directory• Review of legacy content and widgets• Migration plan for content and widgets• Design enhancements• Integration with Sametime• Recruitment of testers• User training• Pilot• Launch• Plan for ongoing support
Key technical tasks• Single sign on• SPNEGO and Kerberos• Exchange mail and calendar integration• External access via proxy• Upgrading of custom widgets• External communities• Forum mail• Mass distribution of Desktop Plugin• Active Directory cleanup
Beginning the technical transformation• Migration/upgrade to V5.0• Making system more redundant and
extendable• CCM integration• More training modules for users
Upgraded environment
Connections 5.0 launch – Aug 2015• Connections 5.0 launched to all company
employees• Single sign on support• Desktop Plugin released to employees• Content (users wanted to keep) migrated
automatically• Widgets migrated and updated as needed• Developed new Connections training
Connections circa August 2015
Ongoing benefits realized• Connections and social are established,
accepted parts of the digital workplace• Social is fostering culture and collaboration• Streamlined communication• Helping reduce email and network files• Leaders are engaging more • Better information management• Sharing from company experts and ideas from
everywhere
Make it a platform• Integrate with existing application platform• External collaboration• More WebSphere based Java apps• Network and data center infrastructure
upgrade
Environment today
Future proofing• Use of existing application platform (Domino)• Java based WebSphere applications can be
ported to other platforms if necessary• Integration of multiple directories and SSO
solutions allows more granular collaboration with outside partners
• Most targeted applications would work even if OBM Connections is migrated to the web
Social business maturity
• Acknowledgement of social business.
• Coordinate social business activities to identify best
practices and accelerate the organization's capabilities.
• Social business strategy and roadmap. Grow adoption and drive uptake of social business tactics across the organization.
• Use social as core part of business. Social business strategy is aligned with senior leadership and key functions, and social business is measured.
Discovery
Establishing
Intermediate
Mature
2012
2014
2016
2018
Thank you!Frank GulloDirector of Digital & Mobile StrategyIBM Champion
Superior [email protected]
Victor ToalChief ArchitectIBM Champion
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