Alex Scroxton

5 August 2008

As more companies start to use social networking platforms for business, some vendors have begun to take steps down this route within their channel programmes.

Cisco, which is introducing a collaborative services model, launched an online networking portal for its partners last year. The vendor's portal was well-received, but presenting technology that is more akin to Facebook as a viable channel sell is a different kind of challenge.

Vendor Managed Objects has announced a web-based configuration management database, dubbed -myCMDB, that includes Web 2.0 and social networking principles in an attempt to "humanise" IT.

Marketing vice-president Dustin McNabb said the myCMDB package, which has its roots in the best practice standards that spawned ITIL, would "energise a broader set of users", making corporate data more accurate through Wikipedia-style usage policies, among other things.

Resistance

But resistance to social networking principles in the channel has remained widespread.

One dealer concerned about access to social networks explained his dilemma: "People know people who know people, and one of them could be another reseller who will take my customers. You cannot ring-fence this sort of thing, and it can unravel in a horrible way."

He thought the security concerns raised in mainstream discussions would hamstring vendors trying to weigh into the space, even if their products were secure."I don't know if trying to resell a social networking solution is something I can see a market for, all this does is put a fancy edge on your system," he said.

McNabb dismissed these concerns. "Although I have heard those arguments, I think Facebook is infiltrating the corporate environment no matter what. Business leaders can either sit back and watch this happen, or they can try to influence the adoption of social networking."

McNabb said applications such as myCMDB would give customers an opportunity to steer the placement of social networking so that it was positioned and used appropriately.

Azzurri CTO Dave MacFarlane said many businesses were only hostile to social networking because they did not understand how to deal with it. "I think they will embrace it, they just have to be sure it is adopted within the rules of corporate governance," he said.

MacFarlane said Azzurri was taking steps down the social networking route and was finding that more customers were asking for networks that incorporated Web 2.0 technology, such as peer-to-peer capabilities.

Online community

Cisco has launched its Learning Network, an online community for networking professionals to discuss and exchange ideas. This is backed up by new CCNA concentrations around wireless, voice and security.

Jeanne Beliveau-Dunne, general manager of Learning@Cisco, said the developments would address the networking talent shortage. "We estimate that we will need to double or even triple our certified individuals over the next five years," she said.

It is now becoming clear that the rise of social networking is going hand-in-hand with the growing numbers of twenty-somethings in the workplace, but it is also clear that too much openness can be a bad thing.

If resellers and systems integrators are to sell social networks in their portfolios, they will also need to help businesses ensure Web 2.0 technology is securely managed.