HCL Connections Reviews

It is the single source of truth that can be shared anywhere. This is the most valuable feature of this solution.

We are trying to save storage costs.

The mobile, Outlook, and desktop Plug-ins associated with this product need to be improved.

There were a few challenges that we have experienced with the stability of the Outlook Plug-in.

The mobile product within the good container is still not a fully matured product.

We did encounter stability issues a few times here and there.

There were no scalability issues.

The technical support is very good.

We have never used any other solution before.

It is a complete setup, which requires a Linux and Windows background.

We looked at other solutions, namely the Microsoft OneDrive for Business and Google for Work.

It is a very good solution, if you are looking for a file-sharing solution. It is scalable to a larger audience.

The Files feature gives us the ability to store, share and collaborate on documents. This is, by far, the most used feature.

Helpdesk functionality is now using Forums, so people can ask and answer questions and address issues whenever they wish. Questions can be flagged as such and the correct answer identified.

The Files feature has really changed the way we do business. Instead of attaching documents to email, we send links and collaborate in the tool. This reduces the amount of email each day.

I have found the wiki to be lacking in functionality. We don’t use that piece, so we have another vendor for wiki.

I have used it for seven years.

We have not encountered any stability issues.

We have not encountered any scalability issues.

Technical support has been very good.

I did not perform the setup.

I did not work on licensing or pricing.

It is the single quickest way for us to start consolidating all of our files together when we are going to many countries.

Communication is a benefit. The challenge with it is whether or not it's a monetary benefit.

There's nothing pressing for us about Connections itself at the moment that we are desperate for that we don't already see in version 6. The biggest benefit for us will be nested folders. Until we get nested folder support, folders within folders, we can't move away from the historical file stores on Windows.

We have it on premise, so we control the stability. We have had issues with tuning and configuration. The best practice isn't always clear about how to configure it and make it work when it scales. We control the tin, but I'd say that probably there's a gap at the moment in best practice recommendations.

When we went from 1,000 users to 2,000 users, we hit some problems and then it required a lot of retuning and reconfiguration.

When you get to the right person in technical support, they are very good. The challenge is finding the people who understand it. There are probably about 50 people around the IBM world that can deal with the level of detail we sometimes go into but getting hold of them is quite challenging.

I was not involved in the initial setup.

The product itself is good, probably best in its class still, but the solution brings it down. They don't approach it as delivering a solution to a customer. They look at it as a product that then you work with. And they're making a big mistake there.

Get a good partner that understands how to implement it and don't expect that IBM can respond quickly enough. Make sure that if you buy the product and you use the product, that you've got a partner that can fully manage it for you. Don't expect there to be rapid releases. If there are gaps in functionality, be very clear that you probably won't get them within 18 months.

When selecting a vendor, trust is the most important criteria.

It's easy to use for both developers and end users.

It is easy to integrate to other parts of the company.

I haven't any particular features to request. I would like to see better stability and performance.

Stability is not good. We've been having a lot of problems lately with the fulfillments.

Scalability is okay.

Technical support is not that good at the moment.

I wasn't involved in the initial setup.

At the moment, I would say, "Think hard about it." I want to trust that a vendor is reliable.

Search functionality and notifications: The search functionality is very well developed and can be easily filtered. All search results take data security into consideration and users will only find data they actually have access to. This functionality also extends fully to the mobile app which is available for both Android and iOS.

File sharing and synchronization over the web to Windows and mobile devices: File sync is a very useful feature that allows users to synchronize files via the Connections system to Windows desktops and mobile devices (iOS and Android) automatically. Similar to how Dropbox or Google Drive would work. This feature is very useful to ensure you always have the latest versions of files available on local devices for off-line/local access.

It has improved collaboration between users. The ability to have a definitive location for data to collaborate around. The search and incidental discovery of content (not a function, but a main feature in my mind) are really key, as is the ability to share and - when necessary - un-share. Also, the ability for the system to interact with external users, as well, if the environment allows this type of interaction.

One of the most used features lately is the ability to invite external (non-company) users and collaborate with them. yhe integration of IBM Docs into the system has made it possible to use the product more widely and allow the interaction no matter what type of device a client is connecting with.

There is an issue with scaling the Solr Search add-on (see the scalability section).

I have used it since 2007, version 1.x.

Deployment can be complex, depending on the customer environment and requirements.

None if the system is configured correctly

The system scales very easily, with the exception of Solr search (search type-ahead), which is only a single server install at this point and cannot be clustered. Currently, implementation only allows for a single search node, so it is a single point of failure when implementing this technology. All of the other components can be scaled and have multiple instances running on multiple physical/virtual machines for better performance and redundancy but Solr cannot.

Technical support is hit-and-miss. In general, the support staff is willing, but there is a large range of capabilities among them, from mediocre to excellent. In this respect, they are not much different from most other professional support organizations, though.

I did not previously use a different solution.

Setup is not overly difficult, but there are multiple components that need installing and integrating. Also, the documentation is not the best and the problem is not getting a base install running (that is not that hard); it is adjusting the system to the individual needs that each client has that can be challenging.

I am an implementation specialist for Connections; I am the guy that gets called in to do the installation. Experienced clients (who have had the system for a while) can do an upgrade themselves; an initial install might be a bit more difficult without an experienced hand to help.

Get somebody to help you with the initial planning and install. The most important part of this product is not the technology but rather the effort you put into adoption of its usage. People will not just flock to it to use it; you have to work at making it valuable to users.

The most valuable feature is Files, because we are working together with our accounting department in different countries.

It's much easier to have control of what's been done and what's not been done. We can even write comments on the board, and again get all the updates when something has been done.

For instance, when you open a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, you just get a copy of it; you can't put it up again.

Stability is perfect.

I have not used technical support.

I wasn't actually involved in the initial setup.

When looking for a vendor, price is the most important factor for us.

Just do it right now.

• Activity: Because this app offers a lot of possibilities. Our users use this a lot for meetings and do their work in it (Getting Things Done principle and other methods for doing your work such as lean management/agile stuff).
• Communities: To work together with good collaboration. It offers lots of possibilities to collaborate.
• Activity Stream: See what has happened in our network in a short overview, without having to open up all of the tools you are using in collaboration. You don't need mail notifications anymore!
• Wiki: This is a very useful tool for information and means having fewer documents. We use wikis a lot for our intranet (WebSphere portal) and in the communities to inform people about themes and work.
• File sharing: There is no need to mail documents, but rather we can share them in Connections. The possibility to share individual documents with anyone you choose is a great feature in comparison with home and shared drives.
• Forum: For all questions and discussions is great.

Having all features and tools together in one environment is great and gives the users a lot of possibilities to work in the way that want to. We see a great variety of use with these tools.

We collaborate in a different, more effective way, with less mail and less physical meeting time. It supports the new way of working a lot. This solution makes it possible to work in a different way. In other words, working in a more social way with more collaboration.

I would like to see a better UI and more user-friendly user interfaces. I would like to see them make the tool easier and more intuitive.

We hear complaints from our users that Connections, and other IBM products, are not intuitive.

The users find it difficult to find content. The menu and action buttons are not that simple. It is not easy to understand how to use the solution and what action to take.

Not all the apps work the same way with the same buttons for the same actions. An example is the tag cloud. It is not active or looks the same in each location. Sometimes there is a tag cloud in one app, but it isn't there in another app.

It does not have a very visual look and feel. There is a lot of text and many types of menus and menu columns. The locations can be one at the top, one on the left, one on the right, and each one might have a different look and feel.

Every app has its own way of working and makes it hard to understand why it all works in a different way.

It's hard to explain for me, because I've been using it for many years now. It is very familiar to me now and I'm fully used to it. But first-time users experience lots of confusion about what to use for which purpose, and how to use it.

We have been using this solution for four years.

There were a few stability issues.

There were scalability issues. Maximum volume of activity creates a lot of problems. We need more storage.

I did not have contact with support. Our administrators worked with them. We have had different issues and lots of trouble with technical support in the past.

It took us a lot time to upgrade to new versions. A whole new installation is needed to upgrade. That is a big problem.

It takes a lot of money and time, and that is a great loss. Companies are not willing to do upgrades frequently and are often a year or two behind the new versions. Because of this, they are missing a lot of new features.

Be aware that this is a whole new way of working. The product needs an adoption process to help all users. And you need a goal for the solution. Otherwise, you face the risk that only a few users will learn how to use it.

Start with understanding why you want to use it. Be aware that you need the CEO and the rest of management to embrace it to be successful.

The most valuable feature is communities. You are able to manage your team / organization and also cross-team projects. It is very easy to use and provides a central place for your team.

Especially in a distributed organisation like us, it helps to enhance collaboration and gain faster business results. It connects experts from different areas. It also helps to find the right people for a project faster and more efficiently.

Organizational improvements like easier collaboration and Meeting culture are immediately available. But it has also a strong mobile component which is very important for us. It provides for example local sync of documents on iPad etc.

The different Features (Blog, Wiki, Forum, ...) do not behave equally e.g. how they handle files or links. This should be improved by IBM. Also the mobile Interface (app) is good but not state-of-the-art. Workflow Features can be implemented using IBM's Forms Experience Builder but this is an additional product with additional costs. Could be improved as well. The web editor has been improved but there is always room for more Features and Functions.

6 years

No, each upgrade needs to be planned but it is no rip-and-replace product (like others). It also runs on differnt OS platforms and web Browsers.

No

No, it is very scalable

Like each new product you need to know what you do with it and how to implement it. But it is not too complex.

We did the implementation by ourselves

There a bundles available containing other IBM Solutions. This could be worth looking in. Cloud is also available if required.

It is much easier to use like MS SharePoint/Yammer or Jive.