<p>In December, IBM finally released one of the missing pieces of its SmartCloud social business platform in the shape of SmartCloud Docs on the public cloud. There was quite a bit of excitement, as it appeared that IBM had entered the cloud-based productivity suite market. But as Ed Brill, Director of Product Management for IBM Social Business, told us, this wasn't really the case.</p><p>When you think of the cloud and productivity suite space you think more often than not, of Google Apps, Office or even Office 365, but not IBM. However, while the word "Docs" features prominently in the name of the new product, and while it does indeed facilitate the creation and editing of docs, that's not what it's all about.</p><p>In fact, the release of Docs is the addition of a missing element to the SmartCloud platform, but it is not an end in itself. With its release, Brill said, IBM closed a gap in its social business platform.Productivity vs. Enterprise Collaboration</p><p>And that's what all of this is about SmartCloud Docs is not about productivity suites, but about social business. While the difference between the two is not always clear, Brill says the focus on productivity suites is on document and content creation, while here it's about sharing and collaborating on that content.</p><p><a href="http://www.cmswire.com/cms/social-business/ibms-smartcloud-docs-social-business-vs-productivity-suites-019126.php">Keep reading...</a></p>