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An emerging category of computer software, collaboration platforms are unified electronic platforms that support synchronous and asynchronous communication through a variety of devices and channels.
Collaboration platforms offer a set of software components and software services that enable individuals to find each other and the information they need and to be able to communicate and work together to achieve common business goals. The core elements of a collaboration platform are messaging (email, calendaring and scheduling, and contacts), team collaboration (file synchronization, ideas and notes in a wiki, task management, full-text search), and real-time collaboration and communication (e.g., presence, instant messaging, Web conferencing, application / desktop sharing, voice, audio and video conferencing), and Social Computing tools (e.g., blog, wiki, tagging, RSS, shared bookmarks).
Collaboration platforms could be proprietary or open source or free software, and used in wider information and communication environments.
Examples of free collaboration software: Cyn: www.cyn.in Assembla: www.assembla.com
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Uses
The intended use of collaboration platforms are to assist collaboration between: • One to one • One to many • Many to many
Audiences
Another dimension of collaboration platforms and related tools are, they may be optimized for different types of users: • Enterprise class, for business purposes (B2B): meaning high usage volume, many simultaneous sessions, with large groups. Also implies high storage requirements for many files, large files or large file types such as video, simultaneous use of several tools and availability of high bandwidth; possibly relatively sophisticated users or a savvy moderator. • Small to medium sized businesses (SMB), (B2B): lower volume of usage, fewer simultaneous sessions and fewer attendees per session. • Consumers: who can be small businesses, social groups or individuals, for business or non-business use.
Major Vendors
A 2006 report by Forrester names primarily IBM and Microsoft as the market leaders, but a lot changes in 5 years. EMC is a contender, and a new entrant is Cisco who has made collaboration a strategic emphasis because those applications drive high network bandwidth and allows direct access to consumers, assisting in the transition from OEM status to vendor of customer premise equipment (CPE) in a business to consumer (B2C) relationship.
Business Models
Collaboration platforms started out as integrated software that is server-based requiring local clients, for example: Microsoft’s Outlook, IBM’s Sharepoint and many others. Users purchase a license to use download the software, and may also pay fees according to the number of seats, the bandwidth used, or other attributes. The current model is to be on online service either entirely web-based or with a thin client. This model is called Software as a Service (SaaS) where users pay a subscription fee and/or a usage fee. These SaaS can be built as a “walled garden,” sometimes with widgets, or as mashups to deliver a wider range of more flexible and easily customizable tools.
Forrester’s 2006 report names IBM and Microsoft as the market leaders, but new, strong competitors have entered that market. EMC is a contender. A new entrant is Cisco who has made collaboration a strategic emphasis because those applications drive bandwidth and the requirement for digital networks.
“Standard” Features
Some common features of most collaboration platforms and tools are: • Realtime, short communications, such as IM, SMS or Twitter. • Realtime, non-text interaction such as voice and video conferencing, telepresence. • Time shifted, more lengthy communications primarily in text, for example, email, wiki or blog. • Desktop or application sharing such as white boarding. • “Vertical” collaboration platforms with features customized for specific purposes. Examples are to coordinate board of directors (BoardVantage) which feature strong authentication, revision control, approval processes, etc. Other verticals that already have platforms are procurement, HR, legal, M&A…
Email: business and personal: The enterprise edition of Outlook with integrated calendaring, tasking... is the default collaboration platform for many large enterprises, primarily due to the penetration of Microsoft, and the pre-loading of Microsoft Office Suite on many PCs. Plug-ins for Outlook enhance many features such as file management, message filing, polling.
Cisco has an Outlook plug-in for its MeetingPlace voice conferencing tool and one for its new WebEx platform (see more about WebEx below).
Google’s email client, Gmail, is becoming a collaboration platform with shareable documents, spreadsheets, calendars, chat… Software developers have built widgets and mashups for Gmail. At the November 2008, Mountain View Mashup Camp, a developer mashed search and annotation to Gmail messages.
Conferencing Voice-only conferencing has been available for many years and is still very popular because it’s easy to use, pervasive and familiar. Solid, proven plug-ins are available to add voice conferencing to other tools.
Cisco's WebEx Connect is a PC-centric platform with voice capability – not an IP phone, but PC to PC voice communications. It is not yet ready for Enterprise high-volume use, a major release is planned in 2009, but it intends to do everything with the ability be customized (templates and widgets).
PC cam and web cam are passing into the previous era.
Telepresence is supposed to give a near-in-person experience. But several problems: • Too expensive for any but MAJOR enterprises Cisco's TelePresence (with a capital P) is planning to launch a low-end product but it's still priced in the low 6 figures. HP has a lower cost product and service, as do other vendors. • Requires customized and supported infrastructure The whole system is huge and ‘fragile.’ Big, life-size, very expensive display panels and furniture; cameras that require technicians to tune, and high bandwidth. • No pubic rooms (yet)
A few service providers have made deals to offer 'public rooms' which will work like the long distance phone booths that the phone company used to have in the '50s and '60s where users must go to the service provider’s office and an operator sets up the call.
Older but familiar collaboration tools:
Instant Messaging (IM) Perhaps standalone IM is already becoming passé? Almost all collaboration platforms have IM.
Web log (Blog) What is the difference between a blog and a wiki? Both were traditionally text based although now, there are video blogs (YouTube) and audio blogs (PodCasts). A blog is intended to be a one-to-many form of communication where a single author addresses a group of readers/viewers. Group blogs mean there are several authors who create separate blog posts, or collaborate (off the blog) to create a single blogpost.
Wiki Wikis were originally optimized for group editing of content. Some platforms like Socialtext have expanded with many other features such as ‘to do’ lists and other project management tasks.
Examples of Enterprise Collaboration Platforms
Socialtext (From CrunchBase page for Socialtext) Socialtext is a set of wiki-centric, hosted and appliance-based solutions: • Socialtext People enables enterprise social networking. • Socialtext Dashboard, providing personalized and customizable widget-based interface for people and teams to manage attention. • Socialtext Workspace, the first enterprise wiki and the foundation of the connected collaboration platform. • SocialCalc (beta), a spreadsheet for distributed teams. See a 60-second video of Socialtext at the Socialtext web site.
Additional wiki-centric collaboration platforms: pbwiki, MindTouch, JotSpot, BrightSide Software, Wetpaint
WebEx Connect WebEx Connect is a SaaS based on a mash-up model. It will support customizable widgets. Its collaboration applications: • Online audio and/or video meetings • Presence notification (see who’s logged in) • Enhanced chat with ability to have multi-party chats, attach files, instant meeting. • Audio and video conferencing • Document and task management. Watch a video overview at their web site.
Additional relevant topics • IBM/Lotus - Lotus Notes/Domino, Quickr, Lotus Connections • Jive Software • Telligent • Google Enterprise Applications
Microsoft SharePoint
In computing, the Microsoft SharePoint products and technologies sold by Microsoft includes browser-based collaboration and a document-management platform. It can be used to host web sites that access shared workspaces and documents, as well as specialized applications like wikis and blogs from a browser. SharePoint is not intended to replace a full file server. Instead, it is targeted as a collaborative workspace, a tool for the management and automation of business processes, and a platform for social networking.
See also
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