Today�

�our 5th generation digital workplace is deployed by over 450 companies around the world. We are the enterprise standard for business collaboration at global manufacturing firms and professional services companies like Ford Motor Company, EDS, and Deloitte Consulting among others. We enable corporations to build and manage their relationships with their customers, partners, and suppliers - and involve them more deeply in the design, development, and delivery of products and services. We are transforming the way that people work and defining the standards for the workplace in the new economy.

Creating the future workplace is not just about delivering another piece of software. It is about developing an environment that is conducive to innovation, learning, community building and collaboration. As a company we are aware that we operate at the intersection of technology and virtual group dynamics; we know that the success of the digital workplace will be determined as much by individual psychology, culture, and sociology, as by technical functionality.

So as we continue to develop our digital workplace, our vision is driven as much by what people need out of their workplace, as what corporations need out of b2b collaboration. In partnership with our customers and with leading think tanks and research organizations, we are defining the standards for an enterprise technology that's appealing to the end user.

On the horizon�

�today's hierarchical and fixed organizational structures will give way to more fluid partnerships, created to complete a specific project and then dissolved at its completion. The employee will give way to the expert. Work and education will no longer be discrete phases of life, but rather ongoing and interwoven. Resumes will reflect projects accomplished, not offices occupied. The boundaries between work and life will begin to dissolve because the choices made for one will no longer exclude the other. We will live where we feel most comfortable, not within "reasonable" commuting distance. We will be home for dinner.

Imagine how the digital workplace will change your world�

The proposal you've been working on all week is due tomorrow. You're at home with the kids, but you're still connected through a digital workplace containing all the project information. You make a few changes to the most recent draft and send an alert, notifying your teammates to check out the latest version. One of the associates calls with a question about a number in the budget. You open up the archive of client correspondence to refresh your memory and then explain the situation. Then you go back to the Legos®.
The digital workplace will enable you to work uninterrupted, wherever you are.

You're sitting on an international flight and your phone vibrates, notifying you that a shipment of materials coming from overseas will be delayed one week. Your digital workplace opens, displaying all of the production schedules for your new product. You are joined in the digital workplace by the key team members involved with the product line. You are debriefed on the nature of the problem and the possible solutions. In minutes the team is able to come to a consensus. The digital workplace updates your backbone ERP and SCM systems automatically. You go back to watching the movie. The digital workplace will give you continuous access to the critical business information you need to make good decisions, quickly.

You're modeling the inventory for a new client and you run into a curve that you're never encountered before. You need to get your best inventory control person on the job immediately. You start a search on your digital workplace's extended member list and find out that the person you need is in Australia. You can even tell that they're available. You make a call to get them on board and simultaneously invite them into the digital workplace, giving them access to all of the background information about the project. And due to the time difference, you'll even be able to make your deadline. The digital workplace will enable you to take advantage of your best resources, wherever they are.

You're responsible for developing the next release of your product. You and your team are connected to your most valuable customers through private digital workplaces that they access through your corporate website. Collaborating closely with your customers, you're able to develop mass-customized solutions that meet their needs. Your ability to more accurately predict purchasing patterns enables you to reduce inventory levels, get to market faster, and increase profit margins. The new release is a success and you get a bonus. The digital workplace will enable you to get closer to your customers - to deliver more successful products and services, more cost-effectively than the competition.

Your job is to reduce inefficiencies in the manufacturing division. Despite the reservations of your team, you decided to extend your digital workplace to include your suppliers, sharing your proprietary processes and data across your corporate boundaries. Now six months later, you are headed to the board meeting with amazing results. Not only did the additional information help the supplier network improve reliability and reduce inventory levels, but the increased visibility into your strategy allowed suppliers to use their expertise in logistics, inventory and manufacturing to make recommendations that improved your processes and operations. The result - millions of dollars in savings. Through involving your suppliers in the strategy behind your operations, you not only increased the knowledge pool dramatically, you truly extended your enterprise. The digital workplace enables you to achieve greater transparency, efficiency and innovation in your supply chain.

For some, these visions of the new way of working is still two to four years in the future. And for some it's already happening.

• The printer division at Hewlett-Packard has implemented a program to work more closely with its suppliers. Using eRoom's digital workplace as the collaborative platform, in conjunction with other eBusiness applications, this division was able to reduce production shutdowns and cut inventory levels in half. • Haworth, the 2nd largest manufacturer of custom furniture, uses the digital workplace as a part of a customer relationship management system. In their eRooms, the Haworth sales force is able to collaborate on multi-national accounts. And key customers are able to participate in the design of their own furniture in private workplaces created by the sales representatives.

For some of our customers, the digital workplace isn't about a new technology, it's about a fundamental change in the way they work.

What does this mean for your competitive landscape?

We'll help you decide!

• Back in January, 2001, eRoom Technology and partners hosted a virtual conference on the future of the workplace. We brought together key visionaries, innovative companies, and great technologies for a virtual meeting of minds. Interested? Visit the archived site - www.futureworkplace.net! • Learn more about the 6 C's of successful business collaboration. • Learn more about the people behind the vision.