These types of trends and developments are the focus of the final day of this year’s CeBIT Global Conferences, which has "Social Business: Listen, Share, Care" as its keynote theme.

Some companies, for instance, are beginning to migrate many internal work processes to so-called Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs). An ESN can be likened to a type of in-house Twitter service for enterprises. Yammer is a well-known supplier of ESN solutions. On Friday 9 March, George Ell, General Manager EMEA at Yammer and an influential figure in the ESN sector, will take part in a panel discussion on "Social Business: Collaboration & Communication" alongside representatives from Spiceworks, SugarCRM and Dell.

Social networks in companies

Major corporations and SMEs are increasingly turning to in-house social networks to breathe new life into their internal communications. These companies are using dynamic ESN software solutions to complement or even replace their conventional intranet systems. ESNs increase the speed with which critical information is generated and disseminated within companies. They also integrate different departments more efficiently.

However, social business is not just about software solutions that facilitate collaboration, communication and social networking within companies; it is a broad-ranging concept that also extends to the online B2B and B2C sectors where closer customer relations are becoming increasingly critical.

Social commerce is no walk in the park

Purchasing decisions and product recommendations have always been largely social processes. Social contacts between suppliers and customers and among customers are also becoming increasingly important in the online commerce sector. As eCommerce evolves into social commerce, online enterprises and companies in general need to review the way they do business. However, they need to carefully consider a number of key factors before they brave the wide world of Web 2.0 and move into the social networks because social commerce is by no means a walk in the park. The sorts of things companies wishing to make the leap into social commerce need to look out for will be covered by a number of keynote addresses and panel discussions on this captivating theme day at the CGC.