微软凭借Sharepoint 2010取得了很大进步，预计明年微软仍会继续拓展企业用户市场。该产品的API服务吸引了很多第三方开发者，增加了企业数据的透明度。
但Windows Azure是微软最激动人心的进步。这个云计算平台支持Ruby on Rails和MySQL，再次说明Azure平台是欢迎开源精神的。其混搭服务Dallas具有云计算的计算能力，让开发者可以开发自己的软件，然后在Azure平台上销售。
今年秋天这家位于波特兰的公司推出了Jive SBS 4.0，该公司最新的企业协作技术。 Jive可能是微软SharePoint最具威胁的竞争对手，其平台整合了微软Office和iPhone，为用户提供了一些社交元素。
Salesforce.com今年在社交领域进展很快，推出了Salesforce Chatter，一个用于公司内部社交网络的即时服务。公司的软件平台Force.com也增长迅速。目前开发人员已经在该平台上发布了13.5万个软件，此外，越来越多第三方服务开始支持该平台，再次显示salesforce在企业2.0领域的地位。
SocialCast理解市场并能采取相应措施。该产品的出色之处在于其用户界面、社会性商业情报、及其复杂的分析环境，这些对任何在企业环境下提供即时feed的公司来说都很关键。
Google以多种途径进军企业用户市场。最近，Google刚刚改善了与黑莓的整合。Google站点最近也进行了一次重大升级。总的来说，Google正在花大力气吸引企业用户离开微软Office。
MindTouch开源服务的吸引力持续增加，公司最近推出的开源产品MindTouch Cloud是SharePoint的备选方案。
MindTouch可以缝合不同的数据元素，在企业内具有优势，可以帮助企业建立控制面板，查看企业的内部系统和外部环境。
思 科在网络电话和协作产品方面的投入令其成为企业用户市场的一个主要竞争者。公司正在收购Tandberg，并推出了一种供企业内部使用的社交网络。思科的 网络电话目前已经和Salesforce.com进行了整合。在2010年，思科需要把自己的产品整合到一起。与微软和IBM不同，思科缺乏基础数据结 构。但是，公司在09年对协作技术的深度承诺表明了公司是如何正在过渡到一个建立在社交元素基础上的新市场的。
Socialtext的故事可以追溯到web 2.0之前。这家公司最初提供wiki服务，后来转型为一家提供协作平台（整合了即时功能和微博客系统）的公司。今年该公司持续创新，最近推出了电子表格产品SocalCalc，支持多用户同步协作。
这是另外一家不太引人注意的公司，但是在吸引企业用户方面有绝招。Present.ly是一家企业协作公司，提供即时活动流服务。公司目前已实现盈利，并在努力赢得企业用户的信任。
iPhone是当今最具革命性的消费产品之一，对企业也有很大的影响。很多企业用户都选择了iPhone，催生了人们对企业软件的需求。重要的是网络，苹果比黑莓更了解这一点。
2009 may be remembered as the year that enterprises truly understood the imp
Web-based services are moving fast into the enterprise, raising questions about document-based environments in a world increasingly influenced by real-time information. We saw this time and again as the year rolled on. It played an imp
ReadWriteWeb's Best Products of 2009:
Our list includes three companies that made the list last year. We expect that this list may have some surprises. We welcome your feedback on the products that made the top 10 and your thoughts on on
Microsoft Windows Azure and Sharepoint
Microsoft has made huge strides with Sharepoint 2010. It is expected to continue its march into the enterprise this coming year. It may not be a best of breed application by any means, but its API is attracting a healthy number of third-party vendors. These companies are developing services to bring a level of transparency to enterprise da
But Windows Azure is Microsoft's most exciting development. Ray Ozzie unveiled the cloud-based platform at the Professional Developers Conference last month and it is living up to its promise. It supports Ruby on Rails and MySQL, another sign that open-source is welcome on the Azure platform. Dallas, its mashup service, embraces the computational power of cloud computing, giving developers the ability to create their own applications that they may sell via the Azure platform. All in all, the services Microsoft is providing makes it a natural fit for the Top 10 list.
This Portland-based company continues to make strides into the enterprise. Earlier this Fall, the company unveiled Jive SBS 4.0, its most significant update to date. SBS 4.0 is Jive's latest version of its enterprise collaboration technology. Jive may be the most threatening competitor to Microsoft Sharepoint. Its platform integrates with Microsoft Office and the iPhone, and provides a social layer that users find compelling. Jive recently raised $12 million in venture funding from Sequoia Capital.
Salesforce.com took a deep dive into the social space this year, culminating with Salesforce Chatter, a real-time service that acts as an internal social network for its customers. It was the culmination of a big year for the cloud-based service. Force.com, its application platform, saw significant growth. To date, developers have launched 135,000 applications on the platform. Furthermore, a growing number of third-party services are integrating with the platform, showing again how imp
SocialCast Social Business Intelligence
On
Google is making a clear move into the enterprise in a number of ways. Most recently, it enhanced its integration with the Blackberry. Google Sites recently had a major upgrade. Overall, Google is investing heavily in features to give enterprise customers more incentives to switch from Microsoft Office.
We'll see how 2010 turns out for Google, but the path looks pretty clear for Google Apps to make further gains in the enterprise.
MindTouch continues to find traction with its open-source services. Its most recent offering, MindTouch Cloud, is an open-source alternative to Sharepoint.
Its ability to stitch together different da
This choice may be a bit of a surprise, but we feel that Cisco's investments in VOIP and collaboration services position it as a major player in the market. The company is acquiring Tandberg, it launched a social network service for internal use in the enterprise, and its VOIP service is now integrated with Salesforce.com.
We see 2010 as the year that Cisco must tie it all together. It needs a glue to connect all of the services that it offers. Unlike Microsoft or IBM, Cisco lacks an underlying da
The Socialtext story dates back to the days before Web 2.0. It began as a wiki provider and has since transformed itself into a collaboration service with real-time, microblogging integrations. In the past year, the company has continued to innovate - most recently with SocalCalc, the spreadsheet service that allows for multiple users to collaborate simultaneously across multiple documents.
The challenge for Socialtext is to move past its perception as a wiki provider. The market is far larger for a collaboration platform and Socialext knows it. It will face steep competition in the enterprise against entrenched players like Microsoft and newcomers like Jive Software.
This is another company that may be flying under the radar to most, but is taking a smart approach with enterprise customers. Present.ly is an enterprise collaboration service that provides a real-time activity stream. It is profitable and growing, and is taking the steps required to gain the trust of enterprises. Its security is tight and it offers the choice of an on-premise solution.
present.ly is on
Perhaps on
It's the Web that matters. Apple understands that dynamic far more than RIM and its Blackberry, which has a tough fight on its hands in 2010. There is no slowing down the iPhone; it's quickly becoming the app of choice for the enterprise.
In Conclusion
In 2009 we saw the rise of collaboration services, the maturing of cloud computing and advances in SaaS platforms. The rise of mobile technologies will continue in 2010. And social technologies in the enterprise? Well, they're here to stay.