IBM has launched a mobile version of its Connections social networking software for iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices. Customers can download the software from the respective app stores to gain immediate access to blogs, employee data, status updates and wikis, as well as sharing files, videos and photos.

IBM notes that a shift is occurring in the enterprise, with mobile devices and social software rapidly becoming vital business tools, enabling organizations to transform virtually every part of their business operations.

According to a recent report from the Renegade firm, 86 per cent of business people now use social media to help them make business decisions. With more than 1bn mobile users, combined with rise of social networking in the workplace, companies are looking for ways to better integrate these industry forces to help organizations accelerate collaboration, deepen customer relationships, generate new ideas faster, and enable a more effective workforce.

IBM’s Connections social networking mobile app works just like the PC version, with added functionality for Android, iOS and BlackBerry smartphones and tablets. In addition to the File share application; Profiles; Activities; Blogs; and generate-and-vote-on-ideas features, workers can now take photos with their smartphones and upload them directly to Connections.

IBM has also released a solution to help IT administrators to simplify the management of corporate and personal data on employee devices. IBM’s collaboration software “partial wipe” capability for Apple iOS devices enables IT administrators to wipe only confidential company data from iOS devices, while preserving a worker’s personal email, photos, videos, and games. Administrators can still initiate a full reset wipe if circumstances warrant it, as an alternative to this new partial wipe option.