“Plastics” was the word to remember in the movie “The Graduate.” The “Internet” was the word of the 90’s. The word for today’s businesses may be “shared.”
We need to share our workspaces. Companies share their data. People spend countless hours sharing their labor on open-source projects. The biggest sharing of all comes with the peer-to-peer sharing networks where digital files are spread around the world at breakneck speeds.
More importantly, it is becoming easier and easier to share the work process within your office. Several companies have begun offering online collaboration tools that allow people around the world or in the same office to collaborate on documents securely and seamlessly.
Microsoft Office Live
Microsoft is the biggest player in this game. They’ve recently released Office Live, an extension to Office 2007. Office Live allows you to work natively in your Office programs on your personal desktop or via their online product. Documents can be shared, updated, and distributed via a central online repository.
Tech Crunch’s Michael Arrington gave this new platform a glowing review:
Among the additional applications was an office document collaboration tool. You can share an office document real time with others, allowing them to view and edit it.
Office Live will be a huge productivity tool
Office Live has hooks for many third-party applications, such as payroll, accounts, and more. It also features an updated web site platform that allows small companies to quickly build a free web site.
Other online tools
Microsoft may be the biggest player but they are far from alone. The list of companies that offer free to inexpensive online collaboration and productivity support is growing daily.
- Google Gears/Google Docs online and offline document creation/sharing
- 37 Signals: Basecamp, Backpack, Highrise, Campfire - The original and easiest online collaboration packages
- Amazon S3 - Online database and web services
- Zoho - Complete online Office alternative
Contact Bayside Networks in San Diego (Phone: (858) 654-4080 ) to set up Office Live in your company. Bayside Networks provides training and network support to enhance your company’s productivity.
One effective business collaboration tool that has been left off this list is Communiclique. I implemented their software into my business months ago and it has yielded very positive results. I have also noticed that my project managers seem to have a better grip on their projects now that they have software that monitors their team’s projects.