If there is one thing we do at TBL, it’s eat our own dog food. But, to be fair, I think it’s a little more than that. One of the things that makes us so unique is that we make a living delivering solutions to clients who are just like us. Our focus is not taking down large federal equipment resell contracts or delivering services to the Fortune 50, but rather developing solutions for companies and solving problems. The interesting piece is we need look no farther than our front door for inspiration on what solutions businesses need to solve today’s problems. It is in that spirit that I begin this series – TBL’s own search for the perfect social platform.

Let’s introduce the contenders. Most everyone who will read this blog is familiar with Microsoft SharePoint. SharePoint has come a great distance since its debut. It is arguably one of the more prevalent intranet portal platforms in use today and offers models for both on-premise and hosted consumption.

A potentially less known, but no less valid, contender is Chatter from Salesforce.com. TBL’s runs many of its operations from a Salesforce.com database so the tight integration from Chatter is most certainly attractive.

And the new entry to the field, Cisco Quad. We have placed the order for our Quad licensing and the Cisco UCS B-Series blades that will support it and are just awaiting shipment. Now I know what you’re thinking…TBL is a Cisco reseller and delivers Cisco solutions so clearly Quad is going come through as the victor. While I can’t deny the first two points, I hope the trials and tribulations you will witness through these posts will be evidence to the fact that we took a hard look at each solution.

Let the games begin!