Atlas
IBM’s Atlas maps social networks in the workplace; the program’s MyNet component can identify users’ connections on the basis of their relative positions within the company and their communications by e-mail and instant messenger. The resulting map not only shows contacts (along with their locations and organizations) but also measures how close they are. One view shows particularly close contacts near the center of the diagram and distant ones toward the perimeter. Chris Lamb, senior product manager for IBM’s Lotus Connections software, says workers can use the tool to maintain their professional networks. For example, a person might notice an important contact drifting toward the perimeter of the circle and take steps to catch up before the connection fades.

Credit: IBM