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.