This week a look at due diligence for SaaS and cloud computing, Salesforce.com releasing Chatter, did Wikipedia already hit its max and Pearltrees: bookmarks with a social twist (see also Capgemini’s review of Pearltrees which was published in April).
- Law may limit boss’ access to social media
Employers’ use of Facebook, MySpace and other online social networks
could be limited under a new antidiscrimination law. The Genetic
Information Nondiscrimination Act bans employers from asking employees
or job candidates to take genetic tests or disclose the results of
genetic tests already completed. It also considers a family’s medical
history to be protected genetic information. For instance, if a manager
who overhears an employee say that her mother is being treated for
breast cancer could not use the information against the worker in
hiring decisions because they believe the person could require time
away from work or have expensive medical costs if she develops the
disease. - MindTouch Cloud: The Open Source Alternative to Sharepoint and Salesforce.com?
Sharepoint is the big giant in the enterprise collaboration space.
Salesforce.com is now in the market with Salesforce Chatter, a service
that embraces Facebook, Twitter and the applications within Force.com.
MindTouch has the potential to compete with the large market players.
Today they are announcing MindTouch Cloud, an open-source, SaaS service
that integrates business data from any number of sources, including
Oracle, Sugar CRM and Salesforce.com. - What are Google’s real motivations behind Chrome OS?
Chrome OS is Google’s latest entry into the consumer space. It is
designed to be an operating system that runs on customized hardware and
provides the user with only a state-of-the art browser running HTML-5
and some plugins. The tech (and mainstream) media has seen no shortage
of opinions about its meaning and future impact on the industry.
Unfortunately, I think most people have missed some of the key
implications of Chrome OS. - The dark side of the internet | Technology
Fourteen years ago, a pasty Irish teenager with a flair for inventions
arrived at Edinburgh University to study artificial intelligence and
computer science. For his thesis project, Ian Clarke created “a
Distributed, Decentralised Information Storage and Retrieval System”,
or, as a less precise person might put it, a revolutionary new way for
people to use the internet without detection. By downloading Clarke’s
software, which he intended to distribute for free, anyone could chat
online, or read or set up a website, or share files, with almost
complete anonymity. - The Future Has No Log In Button
It all centers around identity. The idea comes with a technology called
Information Cards, and a term called the “Selector”. With these
technologies, websites will rely on the client to automatically provide
the experience you want without need for you to log in ever again. It
relies on OpenID, doesn’t really need oAuth (since all the
authorization ought to happen on the client), but the best part is you,
the user, don’t ever have to know what those technologies are. It “just
works”. - SAP Joins PowerPoint and Twitter – Does This Work?
As we approach 2010, a number of new efforts are underway to make
documents more social. One consultant told us how recently a client
tried to turn Sharepoint into a Twitter client. That’s a monster! But
we have to give SAP credit for developing a more innovative way to add
social elements to PowerPoint presentations. - SaaS and cloud computing: A look at the due diligence
Cloud computing, software as a service, outsourcing… to me, these are
all synonymous terms. While “cloud computing” as a concept has gained
tremendous traction and mindshare, the fact remains that this sector of
computing is nothing more than today’s de jour term for outsourcing and
the decisions around and challenges regarding outsourcing should remain
front and center all the way through the process. - The ‘social enterprise’ comes of age
Salesforce.com’s flamboyant announcement of Chatter has catapulted
social computing to the forefront of discussion among enterprise
thought leaders. - Meet Pearltrees: Bookmarks with a social twist
A French Web site, called Pearltrees, is developing a Web service that
is trying to bring a social networking element to bookmarking – but
with the connections based on content instead of people. Think Facebook
and Twitter mixed with one Amazon’s recommendation system. - Is Wikipedia maxed out?
Wikipedia may have reached the upper limits of what can be done with
crowdsourcing, according to a researcher in Spain. Felipe Ortega, a
researcher at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, notes that
Wikipedia is at risk because its core editors can’t continue to keep up
their current pace. And if Wikipedia doesn’t recruit more volunteers
its content could suffer.
Light reading: