Wikis in the Enterprise
By Esther Shein
Thanks to the explosive popularity of Wikipedia, many consumers are familiar with the concept of a wiki, a collaborative web page which can be viewed and edited by anyone with access to the Internet. Corporate adoption, however, has been much slower. Only 37% of enterprises currently use wikis, according to a recent study by The Nemertes Research Group Inc. in Mokena, Ill.
But while large organizations are concerned about security, management and compliance in a wiki world, smaller businesses are intrigued by what these infinitely customizable online databases can offer. Proponents claim wikis can improve productivity, reduce email overload, cut down on meetings and promote better knowledge-sharing.
"Users need space to collaborate with other employees globally who are mobile and don't have the means to do so in the current IT infrastructure," says Jonathan Edwards, a research associate at Yankee Group, in Boston, Mass. "They're resorting to [wikis] because they are easy to use." (article continues)
Next Page >>
