Gold Systems Adds Social Networking to Enterprise Communications Tool
Gold Systems Social Center adds new functionality to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2
Gold Systems wanted to combine social network information with the power of enterprise communication and collaboration tools. The company used core technology in Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to build a new application called Social Center. The software helps people to work with the rich context provided through social networks and the seamless communications provided by Office Communications Server.
Click here to download the new Gold Systems Social Center case study (pdf).
Click here to view the new Gold Systems Social Center case study at Microsoft.com.
Situation
Gold Systems is always looking for ways to use emerging technologies to help its customers. One idea came up as a result of a snowstorm in Boulder, Colorado, where the company is based. To hold its weekly management meeting, the company turned to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 client. The presence technology in Office Communications Server 2007 R2-which indicates if people are available and how best to reach them-worked fine. “But we wanted to bring context to the presence technology to show not just someone’s availability, but what they are up to,” says Terry Gold, CEO of Gold Systems.
Solution
Gold Systems used core technology in Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to create a customizable application called Social Center that runs with Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Office Communicator 2007 R2. Using application programming interfaces (APIs) from Office Communications Server, Gold Systems created a “microblogging” application that appears as a Notes feature in Office Communicator. The company’s developers used the APIs so that the Social Center application can connect to Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. The Social Center application can be modified by organizations for specific needs, including security concerns. Users working outside the corporate network can view the social networking communications that originate inside their company from any browser.
Benefits
With Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Gold Systems had a comprehensive development environment for easily creating Social Center. The application makes it possible for employees to stay connected to their social network both inside and outside the workplace. The flexibility of the Microsoft tools helps Gold Systems modify the application to suit the business requirements of its customers, including security and business rule requirements. The process also helped Gold Systems to quickly develop solutions that can benefit users.
“Social networking is growing in enterprises,” says Gold. “It can lead to better-informed employees and richer information for making decisions. With the technology in Office Communications Server 2007 R2, we were able to innovate quickly and easily in response to changing market needs.”
Tags: Microsoft, OCS, Social Center, Social Networking, UC
