WikiConference India 2011/Submissions/Wiki in Enterprise

Timestamp: 09:39, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

Title of the submission: Implementing Media Wiki in an Enterprise - Challenges and Best Practices

Type of submission (workshop, tutorial, or presentation): Presentation

Author of the submission: Udayan Banerjee

E-mail address or username (if username, please confirm email address in Special:Preferences): udayan.banerjee@niit-tech.com

State of your origin (Country, if you are not based in India): Bangalore, India

Affiliation, if any (organization, company etc.): NIIT Technologies Ltd

Personal homepage or blog: http://setandbma.wordpress.com

Abstract (maximum 500 words)

Wiki is a key component in Enterprise 2.0. It is an important tool for managing knowledge within an enterprise. Unlike most knowledge management systems, a wiki is much less structured and access is open. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.

The advantages are well known. A wiki is flexible, it is open to all, it supports collaborative working … Implementing any knowledge management system has its own challenges. However, there are several additional challenges for implementing a wiki within the enterprise.

Enterprises generally work on a predefined structure; and staff get used to this structured method of working. In such a context, a wiki looks alien. The whole idea that structure will evolve through collective interaction is not readily acceptable by people used to work in the traditional way.

The other big concern is access control. Conventionally speaking, it is not natural to allow open access to all enterprise knowledge. It is even more difficult for some people to accept the concept of “editable by anybody”.

In NIIT Technologies, we have now been using an implementation of Media Wiki for more than two years. The experience has been mixed. There are some areas where it has worked quite well. In other areas, it has not been very successful. We have also faced some challenges in implementing, integrating and customizing Media Wiki to suit our unique needs.

This presentation will focus on:

Our journey of implementing Media Wiki in our enterprise
The challenges that we have faced and what we have done to overcome them
What has worked well and what not been so successful
The larger picture of our Enterprise 2.0 journey
Takeaway as do’s and don’ts for those who are planning to implement wiki in their enterprise

Track (Community/Knowledge/Outreach/Technology): Outreach

Will you attend Wikiconference if your submission is not accepted?: Will attend conference

Slides or further information (optional)