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Introducing MindLink: New Enterprise Social Collaboration Platform Fosters Secure Team-Based Communication Among Knowledge Workers, Improves Business Productivity
ENTERPRISE 2.0 CONFERENCE - BOSTON, June 20, 2012/PRNewswire/ --
MindLink Being Unveiled During Enterprise 2.0 Conference; New Product Helps
Eliminate Email Overload
Today at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Formicary Collaboration Group
[http://www.fcg.im ] (http://www.fcg.im, Booth #220) introduced MindLink
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]. MindLink is an
enterprise social collaboration platform
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] that fosters secure,
streamlined, team-based communication
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] and collaboration through
a company's existing Microsoft environment and unified communications solution. MindLink
specializes in social collaboration
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]: multi-layered discussions
between groups of people within an organization vs. social networking, which connects
people on the individual, peer-to-peer level.
"Business success today depends on teams of individuals working towards collective
goals," said Daanish Khan, Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, Formicary Collaboration
Group (FCG). "But traditional email and social networking technology tools have fallen
short in the enterprise in delivering business value because they're not ideal for
interactive, team-based collaboration
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]. MindLink, on the other
hand, was built from the ground up to support efficient communication among groups. It's
so effective in the enterprise that it frequently becomes the preferred mode of
communications for groups working on common activities and goal."
With MindLink, knowledge workers within an organization can build engaged team- and
interest-based communities that offer:
- Open and transparent real-time and asynchronous communication and
collaboration among groups
- Efficient sharing of information by content experts throughout employee
networks
- Access to contextual information from line-of-business applications to drive
dynamic discussions.
"Traditional businesses are very 'siloed' - they contain vast amounts of intellectual
capital that is never accessed by the organization," explains Eileen Brown, CEO of social
business consultancy Amastra [http://www.amastra.co.uk ] and author of "Working The Crowd:
Social Media Marketing for Business." "In contrast, the social business democratizes data
by breaking down the information hierarchies and ensuring that knowledge stays alive, and
a true organizational asset. MindLink [http://www.fcgmindlink.com ] brings together all
the collaboration features, making them intuitive to use and accessible to everyone who
needs them throughout the organization."
What Sets MindLink Apart
Data shows enterprises are increasingly intrigued with the idea of social
collaboration tools [http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] to
drive business productivity. But concerns around security, adoption and compliance are
holding many back from implementing.
MindLink is unique because it's built on Microsoft Lync, Microsoft's unified
communications platform, making it fast and easy to implement into an organization and
integrate into employees' daily workflow and processes, supporting high user adoption. And
because MindLink is available as either an on-premise
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] or private cloud
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] solution, it alleviates
enterprise data security concerns.
The result is far more powerful and efficient group collaboration
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] than traditional email and
social networking tools enable, making for more productive and efficient teams.
Key MindLink Features and Benefits
- Live Team-based Content/Communication Streams: Delivers live communication
and information from internal systems (document management, project management, CRM)
or external sources (news feeds, public social networks) into focus, team-based
content and communications streams.
- Customization: MindLink's LiveStream shows all message updates in a single
view. MindLink enables employees to subscribe to content that's most relevant to them,
eliminating the problem of information overload commonly associated with traditional
email. Users can create conversation streams based on their individual projects, teams
and interests, change the order of streams, or remove them from view completely, while
still getting all updates in their LiveStream.
- Central Access to Conversation Tools: MindLink provides users with a central
place to access team conversations and individual instant messaging.
- Status Updates: MindLink enables employees to effortlessly keep their
colleagues in the know about their whereabouts and availability at all times, reducing
the number of missed calls and needless emails.
- Search and Storage: All MindLink conversation history is securely stored.
Users can quickly search and retrieve relevant information from MindLink whenever it
is needed.
- Universal, Anywhere, Anytime Access: MindLink is available whenever and
wherever a user may need it. It works on all major browsers and platforms - PC, Mac,
iPad, Linux.
The MindLink Platform Consists of:
- MindLink Anywhere: Browser based access to topic-based information and
communication streams, with features including custom notifications, instant
messaging, activity feed and co-worker connections. MindLink lets users focus on
what's important - and filter out what isn't, letting them consume information based
on their priorities.
- MindLink Mobile: When users are on the go, they want to restrict the amount of
information coming their way. MindLink allows users to filter out the noise by
selecting a subset of streams to appear on their smart phone. Further granularity
allows more restricted information in the Mobile LiveStream. Configure custom
notifications based on specific streams or contacts.
- MindLink for SharePoint: For organizations already using Microsoft SharePoint
for team based project and document management, MindLink for SharePoint lets users
introduce communication streams within their community sites. Individual streams can
be exposed as SharePoint webparts for specific user communities.
- MindLink for Outlook: Microsoft Outlook is the default communication
environment for most knowledge workers. MindLink allows topic based streams to live
alongside individual emails by exposing MindLink in Outlook, enabling fast adoption
without taking users out of their comfort zone.
- MindLink Connectors and API: Existing connectors, for example RSS, deliver
content to the appropriate communication streams. MindLink's simple RESTful API makes
it easy to develop new connectors helping drive dynamic discussions
Organizations without large IT departments or existing Microsoft infrastructure can
still take advantage of MindLink's power through FCG's first US hosted service provider,
Saratoga Springs, NY-based Thoughtbus [http://www.thoughtbus.com ]. Already, Thoughtbus
customers are preparing to implement MindLink throughout their organizations.
"We're always pursuing the promise of social software and its related power to empower
collaboration," said Alberto Molina, President of SureTech.com. "To have MindLink's social
platform integrated with Thoughtbus' powerful collaboration service for our email,
SharePoint, mobile and Lync helps us streamline our business process for local and remote
staff as well as for customer contacts and subcontracted teams."
FCG Secures $1.5MM in Capital Infusion, Announces US Expansion Plans
MindLink also shared news of more than $1.5 million in growth capital the company
secured in April and announced the company has hired a West Coast sales manager in the US.
"FCG plans to use this capital infusion to expand our presence in North America and
aggressively market MindLink to US organizations, where we're already seeing strong demand
for our solution," commented Khan.
Pricing and Availability
MindLink is available immediately on a per-user subscription basis.
About Formicary Collaboration Group
Formicary Collaboration Group (FCG) is a provider of team-based social collaboration
solutions [http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]. FCG's software
leverages existing knowledge and communication assets to enable users to consume and share
information and ideas, delivered through a next generation user experience providing best
of breed Enterprise 2.0 and social features, and accessible on any device for today's
increasingly mobile workforce. The management team has more than 10 years' experience
working with medium to large sized businesses, facilitating better collaboration for both
internal and external users. FCG is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and RIM Alliance
Member. FCG solutions are fully compatible with Microsoft Lync Group Chat
[http://www.fcg.im/Solutions.aspx#MSGold ] 2010 and Microsoft Office Communications Server
2007 R2.
Source: Formicary Collaboration Group
MEDIA CONTACT: Marian Hughes, +1-708-246-0083, mhughes@tieronepr.com
Introducing MindLink: New Enterprise Social Collaboration Platform Fosters Secure Team-Based Communication Among Knowledge Workers, Improves Business Productivity
ENTERPRISE 2.0 CONFERENCE - BOSTON, June 20, 2012/PRNewswire/ --
MindLink Being Unveiled During Enterprise 2.0 Conference; New Product Helps
Eliminate Email Overload
Today at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Formicary Collaboration Group
[http://www.fcg.im ] (http://www.fcg.im, Booth #220) introduced MindLink
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]. MindLink is an
enterprise social collaboration platform
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] that fosters secure,
streamlined, team-based communication
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] and collaboration through
a company's existing Microsoft environment and unified communications solution. MindLink
specializes in social collaboration
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]: multi-layered discussions
between groups of people within an organization vs. social networking, which connects
people on the individual, peer-to-peer level.
"Business success today depends on teams of individuals working towards collective
goals," said Daanish Khan, Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, Formicary Collaboration
Group (FCG). "But traditional email and social networking technology tools have fallen
short in the enterprise in delivering business value because they're not ideal for
interactive, team-based collaboration
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]. MindLink, on the other
hand, was built from the ground up to support efficient communication among groups. It's
so effective in the enterprise that it frequently becomes the preferred mode of
communications for groups working on common activities and goal."
With MindLink, knowledge workers within an organization can build engaged team- and
interest-based communities that offer:
- Open and transparent real-time and asynchronous communication and
collaboration among groups
- Efficient sharing of information by content experts throughout employee
networks
- Access to contextual information from line-of-business applications to drive
dynamic discussions.
"Traditional businesses are very 'siloed' - they contain vast amounts of intellectual
capital that is never accessed by the organization," explains Eileen Brown, CEO of social
business consultancy Amastra [http://www.amastra.co.uk ] and author of "Working The Crowd:
Social Media Marketing for Business." "In contrast, the social business democratizes data
by breaking down the information hierarchies and ensuring that knowledge stays alive, and
a true organizational asset. MindLink [http://www.fcgmindlink.com ] brings together all
the collaboration features, making them intuitive to use and accessible to everyone who
needs them throughout the organization."
What Sets MindLink Apart
Data shows enterprises are increasingly intrigued with the idea of social
collaboration tools [http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] to
drive business productivity. But concerns around security, adoption and compliance are
holding many back from implementing.
MindLink is unique because it's built on Microsoft Lync, Microsoft's unified
communications platform, making it fast and easy to implement into an organization and
integrate into employees' daily workflow and processes, supporting high user adoption. And
because MindLink is available as either an on-premise
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] or private cloud
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] solution, it alleviates
enterprise data security concerns.
The result is far more powerful and efficient group collaboration
[http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ] than traditional email and
social networking tools enable, making for more productive and efficient teams.
Key MindLink Features and Benefits
- Live Team-based Content/Communication Streams: Delivers live communication
and information from internal systems (document management, project management, CRM)
or external sources (news feeds, public social networks) into focus, team-based
content and communications streams.
- Customization: MindLink's LiveStream shows all message updates in a single
view. MindLink enables employees to subscribe to content that's most relevant to them,
eliminating the problem of information overload commonly associated with traditional
email. Users can create conversation streams based on their individual projects, teams
and interests, change the order of streams, or remove them from view completely, while
still getting all updates in their LiveStream.
- Central Access to Conversation Tools: MindLink provides users with a central
place to access team conversations and individual instant messaging.
- Status Updates: MindLink enables employees to effortlessly keep their
colleagues in the know about their whereabouts and availability at all times, reducing
the number of missed calls and needless emails.
- Search and Storage: All MindLink conversation history is securely stored.
Users can quickly search and retrieve relevant information from MindLink whenever it
is needed.
- Universal, Anywhere, Anytime Access: MindLink is available whenever and
wherever a user may need it. It works on all major browsers and platforms - PC, Mac,
iPad, Linux.
The MindLink Platform Consists of:
- MindLink Anywhere: Browser based access to topic-based information and
communication streams, with features including custom notifications, instant
messaging, activity feed and co-worker connections. MindLink lets users focus on
what's important - and filter out what isn't, letting them consume information based
on their priorities.
- MindLink Mobile: When users are on the go, they want to restrict the amount of
information coming their way. MindLink allows users to filter out the noise by
selecting a subset of streams to appear on their smart phone. Further granularity
allows more restricted information in the Mobile LiveStream. Configure custom
notifications based on specific streams or contacts.
- MindLink for SharePoint: For organizations already using Microsoft SharePoint
for team based project and document management, MindLink for SharePoint lets users
introduce communication streams within their community sites. Individual streams can
be exposed as SharePoint webparts for specific user communities.
- MindLink for Outlook: Microsoft Outlook is the default communication
environment for most knowledge workers. MindLink allows topic based streams to live
alongside individual emails by exposing MindLink in Outlook, enabling fast adoption
without taking users out of their comfort zone.
- MindLink Connectors and API: Existing connectors, for example RSS, deliver
content to the appropriate communication streams. MindLink's simple RESTful API makes
it easy to develop new connectors helping drive dynamic discussions
Organizations without large IT departments or existing Microsoft infrastructure can
still take advantage of MindLink's power through FCG's first US hosted service provider,
Saratoga Springs, NY-based Thoughtbus [http://www.thoughtbus.com ]. Already, Thoughtbus
customers are preparing to implement MindLink throughout their organizations.
"We're always pursuing the promise of social software and its related power to empower
collaboration," said Alberto Molina, President of SureTech.com. "To have MindLink's social
platform integrated with Thoughtbus' powerful collaboration service for our email,
SharePoint, mobile and Lync helps us streamline our business process for local and remote
staff as well as for customer contacts and subcontracted teams."
FCG Secures $1.5MM in Capital Infusion, Announces US Expansion Plans
MindLink also shared news of more than $1.5 million in growth capital the company
secured in April and announced the company has hired a West Coast sales manager in the US.
"FCG plans to use this capital infusion to expand our presence in North America and
aggressively market MindLink to US organizations, where we're already seeing strong demand
for our solution," commented Khan.
Pricing and Availability
MindLink is available immediately on a per-user subscription basis.
About Formicary Collaboration Group
Formicary Collaboration Group (FCG) is a provider of team-based social collaboration
solutions [http://www.fcg.im/MindLink-Social-Collaboration-Platform.aspx ]. FCG's software
leverages existing knowledge and communication assets to enable users to consume and share
information and ideas, delivered through a next generation user experience providing best
of breed Enterprise 2.0 and social features, and accessible on any device for today's
increasingly mobile workforce. The management team has more than 10 years' experience
working with medium to large sized businesses, facilitating better collaboration for both
internal and external users. FCG is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and RIM Alliance
Member. FCG solutions are fully compatible with Microsoft Lync Group Chat
[http://www.fcg.im/Solutions.aspx#MSGold ] 2010 and Microsoft Office Communications Server
2007 R2.
Source: Formicary Collaboration Group
MEDIA CONTACT: Marian Hughes, +1-708-246-0083, mhughes@tieronepr.com