Social business has been defined in-depth on numerous blogs. Social business allows networks of people to engage and create value for the customer. Social business allows people to engage and interact so they can share information, ideas and expertise. It allows transparency in which people can work in a secure environment. It is also nimble and allows which allows fast instant interaction which encourages business ideas and helps with business decision-making.
I have discovered that IBM have utilised the cloud to support social business https://www-950.ibm.com/events/wwe/grp/grp024.nsf/vLookupPDFs/SmarterCloudExperience%20-%20Smart%20Cloud%20Application%20Services/$file/SmarterCloudExperience%20-%20Smart%20Cloud%20Application%20Services.pdf.
IBM have developed a product known as Smart Cloud which acts as a business collaborator for businesses which will allow secure email interaction, encourage social business capabilities and allow for third-party applications. This will reduce IT costs and provide flexibility using IBM expertise in a secure cloud.
Customer Relationships
This product will help a business understand and communicate better with customers. It will help create brand awareness and create customer relationships which were previously non-existent.
Operational Advantages
This platform can encourage employees, customers and vendors to share ideas and resources which will benefit the business in creating new products and fine tuning existing products based on feedback.
Optimise Workforce
Smart cloud can provide the tools for streams of a business share expertise and distribute work effectively and securely. Employees from different parts of the world can work together at any time in any place. This is highly beneficial for a company with different offices from around the world working on the same project.
Using smart cloud encourages employees to share ideas with customers and suppliers in one place. They can interact, arrange meetings and manage projects all in the one workplace location. This is extremely cost-effective. For example a project manager in India does not need to travel to Ireland to meet clients, employees etc. and instead can interact with them through the cloud in a secure environment. IBM will provide its expert IT skills overlooking the smooth running of the product.
This is just one of the many businesses taking advantage of the cloud but with the concept social business in mind. Would people find this product worthwhile and do you think it can be beneficial to a business?
Click to access SmarterCloudExperience%20-%20Smart%20Cloud%20Application%20Services.pdf
So Opinionated ... 
In LOVE with the idea of social business utilising the clue. It is a excellent blog and you have described exactly why this is the future of blogs, your previous work has answered my concerns of legal issues with strong evidence of outside reading, well done I’m a well formatted and well thought out idea billy with no mates!!
2:16am on a thirsty thursday night. Id say someone had one or two glasses of wine. My blogs must very interesting if you wish to comment on them in the middle of the night. I assume when you said “clue” you meant cloud. People have the impressuion that the cloud can only be used for storage but my blog gives an example of how IBM are using it to produce a service that will help business interact with clients, vendors and employees through a secure network
Good blog billynomates2012. I like the Smart Cloud that IBM have developed. I think it is a brilliant development as it helps to build customer relationships, create operational advantages and optimize workforce where employees from various parts of the world can work together at any time or place. I love the idea where it is cost-effective. Cost is necessary to take into account within this financial climate. As IBM use the cloud to help the business to interact more efficiently with clients and employees, are there more companies that use the cloud this way? Do you think more and more companies will use this over the coming years?
Thanks for your reply Blackbird. It is the definately the future of multi national companies who can interact with each other without having to travel long distance. As we saw in our presenation by Qumas, they are looking to adopt this sort of system for there entrance into the pharmaceutical industry so they can provide a secure cloud to be used as a business collborator.
That is interesting. It will be good to see more companies using the Smart Cloud. I think it would improve the company overall.