I recently attended the 47th Annual Meeting of the Drug Information Association (DIA) in Chicago. This was my 10th visit to the annual meeting, but my first as an IntraLinks employee. It was interesting to think about how much both the themes of the DIA and the life sciences industry itself have changed over the past decade. I still remember hauling servers and equipment to some of those early shows just to be able to give a simple demonstration of software. It was an incredible contrast this time to walk around with an iPad to show off the new IntraLinks app.

The term “collaboration” is rapidly becoming a misunderstood corporate buzz word as it applies to an ever-growing set of use cases. Collaboration is internally focused; it involves external parties. It’s ad hoc; it’s structured. When industry pundits discuss collaboration solutions, what should you pay attention to?

In today’s working environment, companies are geographically dispersed in multiple locations, often separated from customers, colleagues and partners. To avoid the need to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to meet in person, collaborative tools could be the answer. Companies are increasingly seeing the benefit of these technologies and with the introduction of methods such as VoIP, instant messaging and web conferencing, individuals can communicate in a virtual environment, creating increased productivity and improved business process workflow.

IntraLinks is well ahead of the game and has provided collaborative technology in the form of IntraLinks Exchanges for over a decade, enabling the secure exchange of critical information. We recently exhibited at Solutions Intranet et Travail Collaboratif, a conference focused on collaborative work solutions in Paris, to showcase our solutions and to meet with customers. To understand more about the impact collaboration tools have on the market, I attended a workshop called ‘Collaboration in business, real cure for the crisis’ presented by Patrick Schambel, Managing Director from Silverpeas.

I’ve always enjoyed visiting Philadelphia. I lived there at one time and while it is quite awhile ago, I still get a rush when I disembark at 30th Street Station. This time I was visiting Philadelphia for AIIM’s Info 360 Conference. So aside from a nostalgic trip, what did I think of the conference?

An advantage of not always being the first to do things is the learning opportunity afforded by watching how other people's decisions and investments work out. Recent examples include the trend for biofuels which has sent food prices soaring and has caused forests to be cleared to make space to grow biofuel crops. However, it appears that processing these crops into biofuels may generate more carbon dioxide than burning fossil fuels would have done anyway. Even “green” hybrid vehicles are being questioned because of the size of the carbon footprint associated with the production and transportation of the nickel metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries they use.