Let us talk about Social Collaboration Technologies!

The purpose of this new space is to be a gateway for maximizing your daily activities with today's available tools. Trying to understand all present technologies may seem to be a little overwhelming; but remember that at the end of day:

"The purpose of social collaboration technologies is to provide you with simpler and more efficient ways to achieve better results."

So to the mix I will be adding not only technology reviews and tips, but also know-how for using a variety of short-cuts, applications and software that will hopefully lead to let you achieve your work in a much simpler and more dynamic way.

I will try to use images and avoid using specialized vocabulary, but if you still have doubts please post a comment or let me know through twitter.

Getting Started

In this First Entry let us have some ground rules, in my personal experience use them as much as you can, this will avoid you crazy headaches and hours of troubleshooting.

It is true, from 60 to 70% percent of the times the reason of failure is forgetting to use this set of rules.

Avoid making your computer crash, try always to use them.

I will be doing my best to keep up-to-date and have the most important ones.

Golden Rules

All Operating Systems

• When Installing Software use an account with Administration Privileges

Windows Vista and Up

• When Installing Software right click and select: Run as Administrator

Linux and Unix

• If you do not have access to root try to use sudo


• File Permissions to read, write and execute should always be reviewed in all cases (installing, updating, removing)


• The tmp folder is not to play with it, do not go and delete if you are not 100% sure of what you are tempering with

Lotus Connections for CEMEX

This month came with a huge surprise for me, as I have been reviewing interviews, articles, e-mails and twitters and saw all the posts and notes about the success that has been driven for Lotus Connections on CEMEX.

I am really proud on being responsible for the Deployment, Configuration and Rebranding of Lotus Connections for CEMEX. For me was a huge ordeal that finally has come to be recognized and acknowledge.

A thing that started as a project of the CEMEX Innovation Team has become an engine of Collaboration for the whole company, and as an example for many other companies around the world.

I think it is very important to share my point of view with regarding the several challenges that came across for reaching today's level:

One of the early challenges we came across is the correct design of the architecture that would satisfy the application's growth and its sustainability. It is not only to speculate but that in practical tests design an appropriate solution that needs to take into account the different variables involved with its deployment. Things like current infrastructure, available hardware, the network topology in which the application will exists. I am talking about running performance tests and see how far can a possibly design can go. All this things needed a handful group of experts to scan the performance and delivery of the application. Our solution is based on actual statistics and deep analysis of the results we obtained.

A big milestone on the project was to develop and perform a Customization in which user would feel identified. Adjusting to the client's requests for this rebranding and adoption of the application. Over several studies and tests, I developed and deploy technologies that can coexist with the application. Making the application be seen as a part of the company, an application that can represent the idea of CEMEX Online Collaboration.

One that needs a particular interest and is the core of the success for the application is: Adoption. Things like the advantages of the Application, its end-user interaction, how to maximize the day to day work with use of the tools that are provided by the Application. It is really important to mention that this process that started with me by giving pointers on how to use the application and what does the application offers evolved to a whole different scale. Today there is a group of people continuously giving advice, presentations, know-how’s to the employees of the company on how to as they say: "Adopt the Shift Culture".

Support: Letting the user know he is not alone and that there is someone - 24 hours, 365 days through the year; that will guide him and help him with situation that can came across when using the application. There is a robust deployed solution to provide this for the users, with different layers of support, depending on the type of situation presented.

As mentioned before there is a capable group of persons behind CEMEX Online Collaboration Methodology, but I will like to personally extend my thanks to the following guys:

Alfredo, there are experts on AIX technologies but this guy is in a whole different level.

Also the Innovation Team, but in particular to Luis who believed on my expertise and knowledge and invited to collaborate with CEMEX on this project.