Collaborative, contextual enterprise networking systems and methods
Described is an enterprise-based, contextual network system and method to keep employees connected with one another, as well as to external resources. Current media offers a great way to stay in touch with others but is not cohesive and contextual for businesses or generally productive for businesses. The enterprise media disclosed in this application presents a way for businesses to keep all of their employees and outside resources connected, but in a professional and efficient manner for the workplace. This enterprise media adapts to its users to create an interface that will help the user complete work, connect with others, and use various applications all in one place.
1. An enterprise-focused server subsystem having a forum for securely providing contextual content to users of one or more Internet-based or mobile client machines, the enterprise-focused server subsystem comprising:
a) a client interface operable to communicate with the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines;
b) an enterprise application interface operable to receive external content from an external enterprise application operating on one or more servers outside the enterprise-focused server subsystem; and
c) a user stream server in communication with the enterprise application interface and the client interface, the user stream server operable to determine a subset of the external content that is relevant to the forum in the enterprise-focused server subsystem, the user stream server further operable to provide an event stream comprising the determined subset of the external content to the forum,
wherein the forum is made available through the client interface to the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines to enable collaboration between the users of the one or more Internet-based or mobile client machines while providing privacy from other users that do not have access to the forum; and
wherein the client application interface is operable to present contextual features of the external enterprise application in a relevant context within the enterprise-focused server subsystem, thereby allowing the users of the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines to access the contextual features of the external enterprise application through the enterprise-focused server subsystem.
2. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the contextual features comprise an external database search function that is presented to the users in a search field context within the enterprise-focused server subsystem.
3. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the contextual features comprise an external database browsing function that is presented to the users in a file attachment context within the enterprise-focused server subsystem.
4. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the forum comprises a community forum accessible to a subset of all users of the enterprise-focused server subsystem.
5. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 4 , wherein the community forum is accessible by opt-in users who have opted to join the community forum.
6. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 4 , wherein the community forum is accessible by added users who have been granted access to the community forum by other users.
7. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 4 , wherein the user stream server is operable to provide to the community forum a plurality of event streams associated with a plurality of subjects that are relevant to the community forum.
8. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the forum comprises a subject forum that pertains to a subject, and wherein the event stream is mapped to the subject in a database based on a user selection, such that updated external content relating to the subject is automatically provided to the subject forum.
9. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 8 , wherein the subject forum comprises user-generated content within the enterprise-focused server subsystem in addition to the updated external content relating to the subject.
10. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the user stream server is operable to provide to the forum an email event stream, and wherein the external enterprise application comprises an integrated email client that allows users to perform at least one of receiving, posting, and replying to an email message via the email event stream.
11. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the user stream server is operable to provide to the forum a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) record event stream, and wherein the external enterprise application comprises an integrated CRM client.
12. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the user stream server is operable to provide to the forum an expense report event stream, and wherein the external enterprise application enables a user to perform at least one of browsing and approving an expense report received via the expense report event stream.
13. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the external content relates to at least one of Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, an RSS feed, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
14. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 1 , wherein the forum comprises a first forum and a second forum, and wherein a user that belongs to both the first forum and the second forum is permitted to cross-reference content from the first forum to the second forum, such that other users not belonging to either the first forum or the second forum are not able to view the cross-referenced content.
15. The enterprise-focused server subsystem of claim 14 , wherein the user who is permitted to cross-reference the content belongs to at least one of a partner forum, a customer forum, a reseller forum, and a supplier forum.
16. A method for securely providing contextual content to users of one or more internet-based or mobile client machines through a forum in an enterprise-focused server subsystem, the method comprising:
establishing communication with the one or more Internet-based or mobile client machines;
receiving external content from an external enterprise application operating on one or more servers outside the enterprise-focused server subsystem;
determining a subset of the external content that is relevant to the forum;
providing an event stream to the forum, the event stream comprising the determined subset of external content;
delivering the forum to the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines to enable collaboration between the users of the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines while providing privacy from other users that do not have access to the forum; and
presenting contextual features of the external enterprise application in a relevant context within the enterprise-focused server subsystem, thereby allowing the users of the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines to access the contextual features of the external enterprise application through the enterprise-focused server subsystem.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the contextual features comprise an external database search function that is presented to the users in a search field context within the enterprise-focused server subsystem.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the contextual features comprise an external database browsing function that is presented to the users in a file attachment context within the enterprise-focused server subsystem.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the forum comprises a first forum and a second forum, and wherein a user that belongs to both the first forum and the second forum is permitted to cross-reference content from the first forum to the second forum, such that other users not belonging to either the first forum or the second forum are not able to view the cross-referenced content.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the user who is permitted to cross-reference the content belongs to at least one of a partner forum, a customer forum, a reseller forum, and a supplier forum.