If you are planning to buy an ILS or KM system, or want to migrate/upgrade, you need to think about your organization's needs both strategically and tactically in order to select the right platform. Here are 20 questions to ask yourself that will help.

I can’t lose if I begin this post with a quote from Aristotle: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” I actually do think of this when I consider the impact of integration. With regard to knowledge management applications, KM solutions should not dictate the way people work and how they do things, but rather should dock neatly with existing systems and processes in order to optimize organizational knowledge delivery and exchange.

But isn’t SharePoint a KM application? At Lucidea we work on KM projects with clients around the globe, in almost every industry. One question that we hear again and again is “But isn’t SharePoint a KM application?” I love this question and I hate this question, because the answer is “it depends.” It depends on what you mean by an application, and what that implies. Let me explain.

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Please join Phil Green, COO and Mike Cassettari, CMO for a special preview of these new capabilities including:

 

Originally posted on SydneyPLUS blog 12/16/2014

What actually motivates users of a knowledge management system? It’s the feeling we get at the moment of discovery. Yes, we need the information we are seeking, but it’s the buzz we get when we find it that keeps us searching. And if we get the hit we’re looking for, we’ll come back – guaranteed.

I am often asked “what’s the secret sauce in Lucidea’s applications?” and further, I’m often asked why customers turn to our solutions rather than having IT build something in SharePoint or a SQL database.  

I am also asked “what do I tell IT when they want to replace an existing Lucidea solution with one they promise to build in SharePoint?” Rather than discuss the many advantages of our Lucidea solutions, I’d like to share one simple but very powerful differentiator: date handling and date searching.

Originally posted on SydneyPLUS blog 9/26/2014

In this second of two posts summarizing takeaways from this year’s ILTA SharePoint Symposium, I’ll focus on trends in cloud computing for SP users. “No doubt, cloud.” Microsoft’s cloud-first message for SharePoint and Office is clear. Although, “all in” is not a requirement – while new features will be delivered on Microsoft cloud platforms first, they are likely to be available via on-premise platforms second. *There was a loose Microsoft commitment to on -premise support, so we’ll have to wait and see.

 

Originally posted on the SydneyPLUS blog 9/19/2014

At 2014’s ILTA SharePoint Symposium, solution providers and attendees were very focused on mobile and cloud computing. There are some interesting takeaways that I’d like to share. In this first of two blog posts, I’ll focus on trends in mobile and BYOD.

Originally posted on SydneyPLUS blog 8/21/2014

Visitors to your library’s website have often formed an impression of it before they even see it, thanks to search engine “snippets.” You can exert some control over what these snippets contain...

Originally posted 8/27/2014 on Imagic's blog
Faceted searching is becoming a standard for special libraries that want to help end users find relevant content quickly and easily. Not all library automation systems today offer faceted searching. If they do, it’s definitely a competitive advantage.  

Originally posted on Inmagic blog 7/30/2014

The majority of firms that approach us are struggling with low intranet /portal user adoption. There are many factors that contribute to this problem, but “empty portal syndrome” can be overcome if administrators stay focused on some key success factors.

Originally posted 6/19/2014 on the Inmagic blog

A fully loaded service pack is now available for all clients running Inmagic® Presto 4.3, and is ready for download by Presto customers, from the Presto Knowledgebase.

Originally posted 7/18/2013 on the Inmagic blog

SharePoint seems to be everywhere these days. Many customers have been told by their IT departments that their knowledge management repositories should or will be converted to SharePoint by IT. Many customers are resisting this request, but often find it difficult to make IT understand that SharePoint is not capable of performing some of the functions that are important for managing and organizing content. 

Originally posted 3/12/2013 on the SydneyPLUS and Inmagic blogs

“If only HP knew what HP knows, we would be three times more productive.” Lew Platt, CEO, Hewlett-Packard

A KM strategy may not actually achieve 3X productivity, but impact - whether it is measured in profits or even in lives saved - can be dramatic, with amazing results as shown by the examples below:

• A mountain rescue organization proactively communicates warnings of adverse conditions to equipment retailers, guides, the media and individual subscribers. Four novice climbers decide to stay home rather than risk death.
• A professional services firm repurposes prior work and increases their billings by 1% -- resulting in 10% increase in profitability.
• A software company reuses existing intellectual property to enter a new market segment. The lowered development costs result in a triple digit ROI.