Ovum, a leading industry and technology analyst firm headquartered in London, has recently published an in-depth research report looking at the benefits and value that IntraLinks provides. The report is titled Technology Audit: IntraLinks Exchanges and is authored by Richard Edwards, a principal analyst at Ovum who focuses on enterprise collaboration and information management. Mr Edwards’ report is an objective representation of the IntraLinks solutions and technology. You can view both the original report and the executive summary.

One highlight from the report is that IntraLinks Exchanges are described as providing a cloud-based collaborative content workspace that offer more security “than a locked boardroom.” Another highlight is Mr. Edwards outlining that organizations following a holistic ECM (Enterprise Content Management) strategy would “find value and utility in the targeted IntraLinks cloud-based solutions”.

My blog today discusses the phenomenon of going mainstream. Can a B2B cloud-based platform for collaboration, such as IntraLinks, “go mainstream”? I would argue that it can. People, games and even business solutions can go mainstream in various ways — virally, as a result of a single, significant event and via a series of successes achieved over many years. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Few folks other than US-based swimming fans knew of Michael Phelps prior to the hyping around the 2008 Summer Olympics. Afterwards, with eight gold medals in tow, Phelps went mainstream and is now one of the most recognized athletes in the world. The 2008 Summer Games was Phelps’ single, significant event.

Recently, Forrester Consulting completed a thought leadership study called “Trends, Challenges, and Technology Use in a Changing M&A Environment”. Forrester took a look at over 200 M&A professionals to try and understand how strategies were shifting and what the top priorities were for these folks facing a rapidly changing market.

While most survey participants were familiar and comfortable with leveraging technology, specifically virtual data rooms, for key parts of the process — the bottom line is that the perception and approach to M&A has changed fundamentally. The mentality of “growth in perpetuity” is gone, and deals are being viewed with increasing scrutiny. While deals seem to be back on the rise, companies are seeking to buy only what’s necessary and only at the right price. In other words, no one’s going to tolerate a mediocre acquisition — they have to be strategic and have clear immediate value for the company.

Like so many other people from my generation, I grew up watching movies and sci-fi programs that dramatized futuristic technologies. I was always intrigued by the magical user interfaces that were available on a wristwatch or part of a room’s wall that securely brought up any information one requires to facilitate decision making. Being that Star Wars was my favorite galaxy far, far away, I often thought about how cool it would be to have my own C-3PO, to provide me with information whenever I needed it, on demand.

There are many business processes where the secure sharing of information across enterprises is required. Examples of these processes include strategic transactions, such as acquiring or divesting an organization, setting up sites for pharmaceutics clinical trials, managing contractor bids to develop an oil exploration project, and syndicating debt between multiple parties across the globe.