Gartner: Enterprise Social Software Spend Nearing $1 Billion

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The worldwide market for enterprise social software will top $769

million in 2011, up 15.7 percent from the $664 million spent in

2010, according to Gartner.

The 2010 total is up 15 percent from 2009’s worldwide spend of $578 million,

the researcher stated in a Dec. 16 report. At the current

compound annual growth rate, ESS sales

should reach the $1 billion mark by the end of 2012, barring any recession.

Gartner’s broad definition of ESS

includes blogs, wikis, communities, forums, RSS feeds, bookmarks and other

tools that help knowledge workers communicate, collaborate and break through

the many information silos erected in large businesses.

These tools are often combined into applications for product reviews and

testing, brand marketing and community development, says Gartner analyst Tom

Eid.

One practical solution would include a sales worker opening up a private

wiki to invite colleagues to discuss how to target new clients via chat

sessions. This might also include documents and other content sharing. Salesforce.com’s Chatter solution, for instance, would help

with these goals.

Another example: A new hire at an enterprise is looking to consult with a

legal expert specializing in, say, corporate law. The hire could hop onto the

intranet and let coworkers know what type of help he or she is looking for.

For more, read the eWeek article: Enterprise Social Software Spend Creeping Up to $1 Billion.

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