IBM Acquires WebDialogs

The acquisition of WebDialogs creates as many interesting opportunities for IBM as much as it raises concerns over alignment and integration with Sametime. IBM has struggled over the years to deliver an effective and sustained solution for hosted web conferencing. While I have not come across WebDialogs all that often in the large enterprise (compared to Cisco (WebEx), Microsoft, or Adobe), I expect that IBM gains here are in the SMB market. It also benefits by acquiring the reseller/partner channels of WebDialogs.

During an analyst pre-briefing call, IBM said:

• the acquisition has already been completed
• the brand would be "IBM Lotus Sametime Unyte"

Questions I have asked:

Skype alignment

1. Does this change the business relationships between Skype and WebDialogs (Unyte)
2. Does this mean we can expect presence and IM federation with Skype users

My view: IBM needs to do this and I believe it will happen. Skype is hugely popular and this type of interoperability would further differentiate IBM from Microsoft (re: IBM's federation with Google/XMPP). I'm not sure that eBay/Skype will get all that closer to IBM though but the technical interop makes sense.

Salesforce AppExchange

1. You can initiate and manage online meetings from within Salesforce – any changes in how IBM now will work with Saleforce?
2. Does this signal some greater focus from IBM as a collaboration services provider into AppExchange?

My View: IBM also need to do this as well. This deal gets a lot more strategic (given Cisco's acquisition of WebEx and likely build-out of WebEx Connect). IBM needs to build a relationship with Salesforce in the area of unified communications and collaboration. I can imagine Lotus Connections being valuable within a Salesforce context for instance.

WebDialogs & Sametime

1. What happens to WebIntertalk

- A click to talk solution for e-Service (more e-Business/CRM centric)

My View: Out of my space but a good question to ask.

Sametime alignment with Unyte Meeting

1. When to use one or the other? 
2. Swappable conferencing engines? 
3. Integration between the two?
4. Does the Unyte desktop/application/remote control sharing get added into ST? 
5. Expeditor future as client underpinning?

My view: IBM needs to aggressively get out ahead of this topic and alleviate any fear from the install base that ST web conferencing is no longer strategic, etc. I would expect that the on-premises version of Unyte is not strategic to IBM and that there will not be a swap-in / swap-out option but I can see certain components of Unyte ending up in Sametime and a future role for Expeditor for Unyte.

IBM Online service business model

1. Keep “Unyte Conference” brand? 
2. Maintain Webdialogs reseller program?
3. Move to IBM infrastructure/data centers?
4. What happens to existing customers, partners, channel?

My view: The branding seems resolved and I expect IBM will maintain current customer and partner relationships for the time being ("do no harm").