On May 31, 2017, IBM acquired the XCC Web Content & Custom Apps Extension for IBM Connections. IBM will distribute XCC worldwide as part of the new "IBM Connections Engagement Center". The new center will serve to organize news and content within the Connections platform. HCL acquired the product from IBM in 2019 and now sells it under the name "HCL Connections Engagement Center".
The Connections Engagement Center (formerly known as XCC) adds communication to the HCL Connections collaboration platform. The result is a fully integrated social intranet where collaboration and communication go hand in hand.
Peer-to-Peer
HCL Connections is particularly suitable for peer-to-peer collaboration, while classic Web Content Management Systems are designed for top-down communication. However, using multiple systems for internal collaboration and internal communication quickly causes confusion among employees. Which content is available on which platform? Where is what published and stored? Redundancies and user frustration are the consequences.
The Connections Engagement Center (formerly known as XCC), in conjunction with HCL Connections, bridges the gap between the two classic intranet typologies of peer-to-peer collaboration and top-down communication into a fully integrated social intranet.