Cloud computing and a "bring your own device" (BYOD) strategy aren't technology approaches typically associated with running an airport's information-technology operations. But London Gatwick, the U.K.'s second largest airport, is pushing heavily into both.

Enterprise social networking software, which offers social media capabilities adapted for workplace collaboration like employee profiles, activity streams, microblogging and document sharing, has evolved from a "nice to have" to a "should have" status in enterprises.

CIOs and IT managers tracking the progress of the SharePoint-Yammer integration got more details about the road map this week, but the updates were a sobering reminder of the long road ahead as Microsoft works to mesh the two products.

SharePoint 2013 arrives with a new user interface and new collaboration, search, storage and task management features. But gaps remain in areas like social and mobile, and upgrading and governing SharePoint is still rife with challenges.

Yammer plans to roll out an integration with the SkyDrive Pro cloud storage product and the Office Web Apps Web-hosted productivity application suite this summer.

How enthusiasm for enterprise social tools is spread by people and why their sponsorship might bypass the IT department entirely.