Below are details and answers to frequently asked questions regarding the End of Marketing & End of Service announcement for Watson Workspace (WWS). If you have additional questions, please contact your IBM sales representative.
Q: What is being announced?
A: IBM has announced the end of marketing for the Watson Workspace service . IBM also anticipates ending the Watson Workspace service on 2/28/19. All users of Watson Workspace, both the paid and free versions, should make arrangements for alternate means of communication and save any conversations and content from the service that they wish to keep. A tool to assist in doing so is available here.
Q: Why did IBM make this decision?
A: While there is no question that Watson Workspace is innovative and agile, we haven’t seen it sufficiently resonate with clients or obtain traction in the marketplace. Despite our best efforts and enthusiasm for these offerings, our decision to withdraw aligns to IBM’s investment strategy focused on delivering solutions that deliver measurable value to our customers and business partners.
Q: Is Watson Workspace being shut down?
A: Yes. We have stopped selling Watson Workspace. Our goal is to retire the service as soon as we have completed planning for the migration needs of customers currently paying for subscriptions, with an expected completion date of 2/28/19. We are working with these customers to support their migration away from this service.
Q: How can I save my conversations and content shared in Watson Workspace?
A: We have made a tool available that will allow users to download and save the conversations and content from their Workspaces and direct messages. To download the tool and for more information, please see here.
Q: How will IBM support us through this process? What are our migration options?
A: Standard support will continue to be available as stated in the Watson Workspace Service Description for as long as the service remains available. A tool that will allow users to export their content is available here. Watson Workspace also has APIs available that allow customers to export content from their spaces. Information is available here: https://developer.watsonwork.ibm.com/.
Q: What happens to content that is hosted on WWS? How long until it’s no longer accessible?
A: As stated in the service description for the Watson Workspace Essentials and Plus offerings, content (including client personal data) that is stored or persisted within the cloud service will be deleted within 30 days of termination or expiration of the service. Some content (including client personal data) may remain in the cloud service backups until the expiration of such backups 30 days after data is removed from the online service.
Q: Will WWS be integrated into Connections?
A: No. We have stopped any further enhancement of the WWS portfolio.
Q: Will there still be a Zoom partnership?
A: The Zoom partnership will remain in place for the life of the Watson Workspace service. If you wish to continue a partnership with Zoom, visit this site: https://zoom.us/contactsales to assist you with a Zoom subscription.
Q: What do you recommend as an alternative to Watson Workspace?
A: There are many choices available in the market that may be a good alternative to Watson Workspace, depending on your desired outcomes. You may also want to consider IBM Sametime. Although IBM Sametime is a viable alternative, it is not an exact replacement for Watson Workspace. If you’d like to explore these options, please contact your IBM business partner or IBM sales representative to learn more.