Buzzy for IBM Connections now available in Connections App Catalogue

A couple of months ago we announced the launch of Buzzy for IBM Connections. Buzzy brings intelligent instant apps to the Connections platform for both on premise and cloud users of Connections.

Well today we are very pleased to announce that Buzzy is now available in the App Catalogue for Connections Cloud. By adding Buzzy to the App Catalogue it now takes a matter of seconds to enable Buzzy for your environment so your users can start creating amazing apps all within Connections.

So to get you started here is a quick video showing exactly how easy it is.

In addition Ginsy has recorded a more detailed video demonstrating all the points of integration that Buzzy has with Connections.

There is also some more information on the following blogs:

The Buzzy Blog - Lift-off! Buzzy launches on the IBM Connections Cloud Catalog

IBM Collaboration Solutions Blog - Buzzy is Now a Part of the Connections Catalog!

So go ahead and have a go with Buzzy for Connections Cloud. We would love to hear your ideas for killer apps and don't forget that Buzzy for Connections is also available for Connections On Prem. If you would like to have a web conference to demonstrate Buzzy for Connections in detail please let me know - abrown@isw.net.au

Merry Xmas all!

Watson Workspace Cognitive Collaboration Integrated with Buzzy Instant Apps

Yesterday IBM launched the Watson Workspace Essentials which is the first release of Workspace that is enterprise ready following the previous pre-release. I have been using and watching from the continual improvement of Workplace since it was first pre-released and over this time I have found more and more of my conversations moving from Sametime and Slack over to Workspace.

In short Workspace is a real time collaboration app that provides group and individual persistent chat, plus some built in cognitive capabilities that basically helps me to cut thru the noise and quickly focus on what matters. There is some great integrations with other cloud services via IFTTT and Workato. One of the capabilities that we have been exploring more of is the developer experience.

Workspace leverages the underlying Work Services Platform which provides a Webhooks API, Graph API, and Cognitive API's. Using these tools we have been looking at how we can intergrate Workspace with Buzzy Instant Apps and Buzzy for IBM Connections. My colleague and namesake Adam Ginsburg (he surf's while I cook on the grill. That is the key difference) created a quick Geek Sneak preview video yesterday to show off some of the integrations we have created between Buzzy and Watson Workspace.

Cool eh! If you would like some more info or have a play with Buzzy just let us know here

Get Your BUZZ On - Instant Apps for Connections

I have to say it! Damn this one is exciting. I am BUZZING (literally!)

Over the years since we launched Kudos Badges for IBM Connections about 9 years ago now, we have delivered a series of new products and capabilities for IBM Connections, all with a focus on adoption and improving the user experience and hence engagement for users of Connections.

After Badges, came Kudos Analytics delivering deep analytics and reporting to Connections. Kudos Thanks and Kudos Awards delivered peer to peer and management award and recognition programs. Then most recently Kudos Boards which dramatically improved team collaboration and projects in Connections using Kanban style user experience. We also have something else coming very soon....think Idea's and Innovation for Connections but more on that later;)

Lets get our Buzz On!

Well now this one takes Connections to a whole new level. The great team at Kudos has been busily working away with another great team from Buzzy to now deliver Buzzy for IBM Connections.

An intelligent instant app platform for IBM Connections and Watson Workspace

Buzzy for Connections provides a better way for users to interact with each other via Citizen Apps.

Many of us remember the days when on another platform we would empower users to create apps for many different purposes. This enabled citizen developers and end users to rapidly build situational apps so they could quickly get on with business and complete the job at hand. These might be apps such as Contract Registers, Job Applications, Expense Re-imbursements, Executive Reports/Briefings, Field Sales Reports, Event Management.........the list goes on forever.

Buzzy for IBM Connections brings these and many many more instant apps to the Connections platform. In a matter of minutes your line of business users are able to create intelligent (via Watson Services) apps for whatever business outcome they want to achieve. These apps are rapidly delivered via both browser and mobile clients, fully integrated with IBM Connections.

Maybe your Marketing Department are planning on running an event. So you create a Connections Community of course to get the team together to plan, discuss and execute the event. So now with Buzzy for IBM Connections you can create an Event Management App that helps you to store and share the planning details. You might create another app - Event Registrations - this time open to external users as well so they can submit their RSVP's for the event. You might also want to share post event collateral with the attendees of the event - just create another Buzz!

In another part of your organisation, your HR Department are managing the recruitment of some new staff. They create a HR/Recruitment Community, and add an App for managing and creating job positions. They can list the job positions and determine the criteria and type of skills needed. Once ready they can post the job publically via the Job Application Submission App that allows candidates to submit their resume and applications. Then the HR team can work together to review the resumes and vote on who should get the interview!

Over the next few posts we will demonstrate Buzzy for IBM Connections with a few videos.

If you are interested in some more information, a demo, or even want to give Buzzy for Connections a try for yourself you can let us know here - Buzzy for IBM Connections. Come join us and get your Buzz On!

Kudos Boards Cloud for IBM Connections Cloud - It's here!

Well I would estimate that over the last 12 months we have been asked about 1000 times "When is Kudos Boards coming to Connections Cloud?". My answer has been - we are working on it!

Well I am very pleased to announce that it is now here and ready for us to demo at IBM Connect 2017 in San Francisco. The Kudos team has been working very hard over the last year to get this ready for release and we are stoked with the release. We have had a few users playing around over the last few weeks and the feedback is great.

Kudos Boards for IBM Connections Cloud

Kudos Boards Cloud is integrated with Connections Cloud for a seemless user experience. Deployed in the IBM Cloud on Bluemix, your Connections Cloud Administrator can very simply enable Kudos Boards so your users can enjoy the same user experience that our Connections on Premises customers have grown to love. All they need to do is register at our site and we will enable their account asap!

We are planning on many additional capabilities over the next couple of months and would love to demo for you at Connect (Kudos is at Booth 232) to get your ideas and feedback. Here is a video of some of the capabilities available today.

So if you like what you see and want to try it out please visit our site to register for a free 30 day trial.

See you in San Francisco!

Australia rocking the IBM Champion program!!!

Just woke to the news that I have been selected again as an IBM Champion for Social Business for 2016, now for 5 years running. Woot!!!! Thank you IBM. The Champion program is an awesome group of experts and evangelists around the world and I am always humbled to be part of this group. More so thru the program I have developed some great friendships with people all around the world. It is always great to catch up with them at the various events and knowing I have people I can reach out to in so many countries to say hi is a wonderful thing.

And the even more exciting news is that Australia now has 2 IBM Champions with Karen Hooper being also selected, I am sure in main for her awesome work leading the AusLUG/Inform committee. Great to see another Aussie being selected and I am sure there are more to come in future years. Congrats Karen and well done.