<p>Choosing a social business vendor is a huge decision for many enterprises, especially since startups dominate the space. Even if you've decided the usability and features meet your needs, you need to consider scalability, ease of integration, and any hidden costs that might emerge down the line.</p><p>To all the above, Altimeter Group analyst Jeremiah Owyang suggests enterprises add the following: The sources and uses of the vendor's funding.</p><p>In a blog post titled "The State of Funding in Social Business Software," Owyang argues that enterprises "must ask vendors at least 5 questions on who (is funding them) and how this money is and will be used, to understand the strategy before buying."</p><p>10 Hard Truths That IT Must Learn To Accept Sign up for CITEworld's InCITE newsletter -- delivered weekly.</p><p><a href="http://www.citeworld.com/business/21277/when-choosing-social-business-vendor-dont-overlook-key-questions-about-funding">Keep reading...</a></p>