Software Information

Groupware and Online Collaboration: Collaboration Series #4


This article is the fourth of a series of articles exploring specific aspects of groupware. The brief informational articles in this series discuss some of the technologies associated with groupware, as well as some of the characteristics of groupware. Some of these characteristics may go hand in hand with business collaborative needs. Other characteristics go beyond what some groupware providers have to offer. The purpose of these articles is to equip the groupware user or investigator with helpful knowledge about the product in order to enable more effective use or to lead the investigator to the groupware service he or she is looking for. This fourth article explores the ability of groupware to facilitate online collaboration.

Online Collaboration

Online collaboration consists of sending emails back and forth to edit and review attached documents, like market reports, budgets, contracts, and press releases. Most businesses go through this process very regularly with departments, clients, investors, and strategic partners.

In today's fast-paced business world, businesses are constantly under deadlines, working tirelessly for their business and client needs. The challenge is in keeping up with all of the online collaboration going on. After all, online collaboration has become an ad hoc process, and document versions get saved in multiple email boxes and on multiple hard drives. When it comes time to merge document changes and create a final draft, many questions are left unanswered.

The market has recognized the need for groupware, or online collaboration software, to manage and track document changes. Using the right groupware will even enable businesses to manage ad hoc online collaboration, tracking all of the documents versions across multiple emails, hard drives, and servers. The who, what, when, where, and how are all answered, and businesses will have an organizational edge in the high-speed information age of business.

Online Collaboration Tools with Groupware

5,200,000 indexed pages are found under "groupware" in Google; 4,840,000 in Yahoo; and 955,263 in MSN Search. In order to find groupware for your business online collaboration needs, you need to be equipped with the knowledge of the tools your business needs in its groupware.

Digital Thread technology takes groupware to a whole new level and is the means of tracking document versions across emails, hard drives, and servers. Digital Thread literally threads the document versions together by tagging the metadata of an electronic document, so that no matter to whom it is sent or what changes are made, the data comes back to you. It creates digital signatures in your email, informing you whether you are opening the latest version of the document, and who saved it. As the process becomes more involved, and drafts have been sent back and forth between multiple reviewers multiple times, you'll be able to access a version history. Version history is compiled by Digital Thread technology and provides a visual display of the genealogy of the document, from first draft to last. This also makes it possible to merge the changes as the final draft is compiled.

Groupware that can manage online collaboration and go beyond a simple electronic draft filing system to work the way 21st century businesses work.

Joe Miller is an online advertiser and author of informational articles on business software. More information on Groupware or Online Collaboration is available at NextPage.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Canada.com

New Apple software for iPhone 'bug fixes'
Newsday, NY - 15 hours ago
BY EMI ENDO | emi.endo@newsday.com Apple Inc. has released a software update for its iPhone aimed at improving its connection with faster wireless Internet ...
Apple's iPhone 2.0.2 software update didn't fix much Computerworld
Apple updates iPhone software to fix glitches Reuters
Jobs promises September iPhone software patch InfoWorld
ZDNet - NEWS.com.au
all 567 news articles


BuilderFusion(R) Inc. Named the 11th Fastest-Growing Software ...
MarketWatch - 2 hours ago
"Since its inception eight years ago, the BuilderFusion software has had a dramatic impact on professional associations across the United States, ...


Carnegie Learning(TM) Developmental Math Software Aligns with ...
MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
PITTSBURGH, Aug 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Carnegie Learning, Inc. announced today that the company's developmental math software for higher education ...


BakBone Software Appoints New Chief Financial Officer
MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
The common shares of BakBone Software are currently subject to cease trade orders in the Canadian jurisdictions of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario due ...


RTT News

Wall Street Beat: Salesforce, HP, M&A in the Spotlight
PC World - 1 hour ago
Salesforce is often seen as a bellwether for the SaaS (software-as-a-service) market, since it was one of the first companies to jump into hosted software, ...
Salesforce.com shares drop on outlook CNET News
Acquisition Costs Sink Salesforce (Update) TheStreet.com
Salesforce 2Q profit nearly triples, stock plunges Forbes
Register - Wall Street Journal Blogs
all 101 news articles


The Software, Called iClink, Allows Two-Way Wireless ...
MarketWatch - 7 hours ago
The software, called iClink, wirelessly synchronizes contacts, calendar events, and to-do items between the iPhone and Lotus Notes. The iClink software runs ...


American Software, Inc. Invites You to Join Its First Quarter ...
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
What: American Software, Inc.'s First Quarter Fiscal Year 2009 Earnings Release When: September 4, 2008 5:00 pm ET Where: http://www.amsoftware.com How: ...


Tamale Software Launches Latest Version of Investment-Research ...
MarketWatch - 7 hours ago
The expanded scalability boosts the effectiveness of search and other functions -- making the software an ideal choice for an increasingly wide client base ...


Inc. Magazine Recognizes Nimsoft as the 36th Fastest Growing ...
MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
Last year, Nimsoft was ranked as the 49th Fastest Growing Software Company. This list is part of the Inc. 5000, the magazine's annual list of the fastest ...


Siliconrepublic.com

'No software!' Salesforce.com snaps up software firm
MyCustomer.com, UK - 10 hours ago
Software as a service provider Salesforce.com confirms it has acquired enterprise on-premise player InStranet. It demonstrates the clout of the SaaS sector ...
Salesforce.com To Acquire InStranet For $31.5 Million InformationWeek
Salesforce.com Drops $31.5M for Contact Center Software Firm CRM Buyer
Salesforce Pays $31.5 Million for Product Support Company Barron's Blogs
bMighty.com - IT Business Edge
all 79 news articles

Software - Google News

home | site map
© 2006