In today’s digital enterprise, community platforms have moved far beyond forums and blogs. They now play a central role in how organizations build relationships with their most passionate customers, find insights, and drive innovation. This, however, is achievable only when community platforms are integrated into the organization's broader technology ecosystem.
At itD, we’ve spent the past 20 years partnering with enterprise organizations to evolve their approach to community technology. What we’ve learned is clear: platforms alone don’t solve problems — ecosystems do.
Too many enterprises invest in feature-rich community platforms, only to struggle with adoption, integration, or value realization. Why? Because the platform is treated as a standalone product rather than part of a cohesive digital strategy. Fred Walters, itD’s Chief Innovation Officer, puts it this way: “A platform can be technically excellent but still fail if it’s not connected to how people actually work. Communities need to live inside workflows, systems, and decision loops.”
It is important to view community technology not as standalone software, but as a strategic layer within the modern enterprise stack. To deliver real impact, your community must span across platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, Khoros, SharePoint, and more — The guiding principle? Make community a native part of how work gets done. That’s why itD’s approach focuses on:
We’ve helped organizations embed community insights into Microsoft Teams chats, surface discussions inside Salesforce, and streamlined collaboration through all community platforms. These aren’t just technical wins — they reduce duplication, accelerate decision-making, and enhance the user experience. Technology execution is at the core of what we do, but strategy is never an afterthought. Our teams work closely with clients to shape long-term roadmaps that balance innovation with operational stability. We understand that platforms need to flex as business needs evolve. Whether that means adding AI-enabled moderation, enhancing analytics, or expanding multilingual support. Through our global delivery network, anchored by our Hyderabad Global Capability Center, we deliver efficiency at scale while maintaining the speed and responsiveness that transformation demands.
As Alan Aisbitt, a Senior Community Strategist, notes, “Technology can open the door, but sustained community success depends on alignment across leadership, teams, and tactics. That’s what separates a tool from an ecosystem.”
This perspective has shaped our partnerships with organizations like Microsoft, Google, Airbnb, and Esri — not just as implementers, but as thought partners. These relationships are grounded in mutual learning, trust, and a shared focus on long-term outcomes.
Ultimately, community platforms are most powerful when treated not as destinations, but as embedded experiences — places where people connect, share, and learn as part of their daily workflow. At itD, we bring the technical depth, strategic clarity, and delivery rigor to help organizations make the shift that transforms a community from a nice to have to a critical part of part of a technology ecosystem that helps support differentiation and growth.
Get in touch and let's build your embedded community ecosystem.