A Framework to Analyze Enterprise Social Network Data

Abstract

Enterprise Social Networks have a similar set of functionalities as social networking sites but are run as closed applications within a company's intranet. Interacting and communicating on the Enterprise Social Networks, the users, i.e. a company's employees, leave digital traces. The resulting digital record stored in the platform's back end bears great potential for enterprise big data engineering, analytics, and management. This book chapter provides an overview of research in the area of Enterprise Social Networks and categorizes Enterprise Social Network data based on typical functionalities of these platforms. It introduces exemplary metrics as well as a process for the analysis of ESN data. The resulting framework for the analysis of Enterprise Social Network data can serve as a guideline for researchers in the area of Enterprise Social Network analytics and companies interested in analyzing the data stored in the application's back end.