SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - May 30, 2013) - Governments and enterprises across the globe are entering a new era of content collaboration as Huddle today unveiled its vision for the future of enterprise technology. Following the launch of Huddle's Enterprise Information Landscape Report, the company defines the next generation of content collaboration focusing on solving five fundamental issues: security is being compromised through the use of consumer tools, workers are suffering from content overload, legacy technology is failing users, it is still too difficult to work with people and failed implementations must stop.
Next-generation content collaboration overcomes these issues to give both workers and IT what they want: tools to collaborate securely on content -- in the cloud -- on any device, inside and outside the firewall.
"We live in an interconnected, mobile world that is always on. People now demand anytime, anywhere access to information regardless of their location or device of choice," explains Alastair Mitchell, CEO, Huddle. "Our research into how office workers interact with enterprise information and technologies reveals the demand for better ways of working. People are struggling to overcome the content tsunami that's threatening to engulf them and they simply can't get their jobs done effectively when using the technologies currently being offered to them by organizations. Storing information on USB drives and CDs, or sending documents via unsecure email attachments, should be a thing of the past. Next generation content collaboration empowers teams to get their job done faster, but securely."
Security is being compromised through the use of consumer tools
Huddle's Enterprise Information Landscape report reveals that 91% of office workers use personal devices to store, share, access, or work on company documentation.1 With information being stored outside of services managed by IT departments, organizations are at significant risk of losing their data and intellectual property. Hindered by the legacy systems they have been provided with, users are embracing the consumerization of IT and using their personal devices and cloud tools to help them get their job done. More than a third (38%) of US office workers admits to storing work documents on personal cloud tools and services.
Huddle provides the ease of use of consumer tools combined with government-grade security to enable content collaboration for enterprise teams in the cloud.
Workers are suffering from content overload
Today, businesses have no boundaries and people work with their partners, contractors and customers, as well as the colleagues sitting next to them, on a daily basis. In addition, new forms of content are being created on devices every day. As a result, the amount of enterprise data being created, shared and stored by teams is growing exponentially. With a wealth of information available, finding the content you need, when you need it, is becoming a huge challenge. According to Huddle's Enterprise Information Landscape report, more than half of US office workers (53%) feel bombarded by all the information they sometimes have to deal with. This content is now fragmented across multiple repositories, such as inboxes, shared drives, intranets, USB drives and cloud stores.
Hours are wasted sifting through files, trying to find the information you need or establishing which document is the correct version. To solve this, enterprise technology needs to look to what is happening in the consumer world, which is using recommendation technology to understand what people want to present them with better results. Enterprise search thus far has failed and enterprise technology now needs to be inherently intelligent, pushing the files it thinks users need based on their actions in system.
Huddle uses patent-pending technology to deliver the relevant content to team members automatically, improving efficiency and team productivity.
"In an era of the empowered business buyer, people are looking for better and faster ways to collaborate and get work done," said Jim Lundy, CEO and Lead Analyst, Aragon Research. "Information and content sharing still is one of the biggest challenges we see. Huddle's approach combines both content and collaboration with intelligent delivery of content to users based on what they are doing. This shift to smarter and predictive software is what business users are looking for."
Legacy technology is failing users
Legacy enterprise technologies, such as SharePoint and email, are failing to support the content collaboration needs of today's workforce. Built before the advent of social, mobile and cloud, systems such as SharePoint were designed to lock information within the firewall and prevent people outside of the organization from accessing files. Without native mobile support or the ability to work with people outside of an organization, such technologies are deployed by IT, but tolerated by the business. Although used by workers to share files with others, email is a communication tool rather than a collaboration tool. According to the Huddle Enterprise Information Landscape report, US office workers are continuing to struggle when it comes to sharing content. Almost two thirds (65%) of office workers continue to revert to sending email attachments. Nearly a fifth (16%) use USB drives and 15% send hard copies of documents via courier.
Huddle moves content collaboration out of legacy systems, such as SharePoint and email, into a secure, central environment. All comments, social conversations, feedback, and document versions are tracked via full audit trails.
It is still too difficult to work with people
Traditional IT processes have made collaboration too difficult in an era of cloud, mobile, and social. Working with external partners is complex, while accessing content through VPN is time-consuming and arduous. Mobile devices are under-serviced, and workers simply cannot get their job done efficiently with the tools provided. Following the initial excitement surrounding enterprise social tools, the enthusiasm is set to subside as organizations realize social platforms are just fire hoses of information that overload workers. Looking ahead, social features will be inherent in all enterprise content collaboration services. Conversations will be focused on enterprise content and teams will be able to get their jobs done more efficiently.
Huddle provides one platform in the cloud to store and work on all your content and to securely collaborate internally with colleagues and externally with customers, partners and suppliers.
Failed implementations must stop
Traditional deployments of enterprise software have consumed budgets and required armies of consultants to customize and deploy before users even start engaging. This leads to frustration and failed implementations. Such approaches are no longer viable as enterprises look for fast competitive advantage in a world driven by social, mobile, and cloud technologies. In today's world, mass bottom-up adoption leads to an enterprise rollout.
Huddle guarantees user adoption and engagement by placing the end-user at the heart of deployment. It is the only company in the market to provide a money-back user adoption guarantee.
About Huddle
Huddle provides next generation content collaboration for government and enterprises. Its patent-pending intelligent technology ensures relevant content is delivered directly to Huddle users, with no need to search. Business units of any size work more efficiently by huddling together within a secure cloud service accessed via web browsers, desktop or mobile devices. Co-headquartered in London and San Francisco and with offices in New York City, Huddle's customers include 80 percent of Fortune 500 and 80 percent of UK government departments, as well as companies such as Kia Motors, SEGA, Unilever and P&G. The company is privately held and backed by venture capital firms DAG Ventures, Eden Ventures, Matrix Partners and Jafco Ventures. More information can be found at www.huddle.com.
1 Huddle's Enterprise Information Landscape Report
More information can be found at www.huddle.com.
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Huddle
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