Trampoline launches 'Facebook for business'

Trampoline Systems has expanded its product portfolio with the launch of a tool designed to satisfy demand for a "Facebook for business."

Trampoline provides tools that allow businesses to understand the social networks that exist within any large organisation. Underneath all Trampoline products sits Sonar Server, which gathers data from across an organisation by using network analysis techniques to expose the social networks and information flows contained within everyday electronic communications, such as emails, IMs, databases and data repositories.

Earlier this month, Trampoline launched an organisational intelligence and diagnostic tool, known as Sonar Flightdesk, used by IT managers to collate and visually present to senior management, the many information flows and social networks that exist within their organisation. This allows senior executives to identify key opinion formers, poorly-integrated business units, emerging communities of interest, single points of failure etc.

Now however, Trampoline has released Sonar Dashboard 1.0 to provide a similar tool for the end-user.

Essentially, Sonar Dashboard automatically gathers data about what projects people are working on, what is their area of expertise, education, contact details, interests etc.

For example, it allows a user who is working upon a compliance project, to quickly and easily locate someone else within the enterprise, who has similar expertise and/or experience.

The interface of Sonar Dashboard is designed to look and feel similar to social networking applications such as Facebook or LinkedIn, so that users will need very little training to gather relevant information about fellow employees. It is designed to "increase cohesion, collaboration and innovation across a large enterprise organisation."

"Many organisations are looking for a 'Facebook for business'," said CEO Charles Armstrong. "Trampoline has built Sonar Dashboard from the ground up to meet the needs of large enterprises."

"The rise of Facebook and LinkedIn has changed people's perceptions," said Armstrong, speaking to Techworld. "It is a tool for any employee to use without training or configuration. The interface is designed to look like Facebook."

Unlike Facebook however, Sonar Dashboard is updated automatically, providing an "up-to-date network as a by-product of employees' everyday work."

"The heavy sifting (of data) is done automatically, but it can also be done manually," added Armstrong.

"Sonar Dashboard automates contact additions, as well as expertise and contact searches across the enterprise," he said.

And Armstrong also reassured over any privacy concerns surrounding the use of Sonar Dashboard, as it comes with a detailed privacy setting. Users can decide their level of privacy (i.e. how much information they want to share with their workmates).

"They decide, and there is no network manager override," said Armstrong.

Trampoline is based in London and Sonar Dashboard is the newest addition to its Sonar suite of products. Once again, pricing information was not revealed, but interested parties are advised to contact Trampoline direct.