The Towing Path

According to a survey conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures entitled “Content-Centric Collaboration,” 51 percent of businesspeople utilizing technology such as Microsoft Office and e-mail collaborate almost daily as a part of their business operations and need group collaboration software to support electronic collaboration.

The report indicated that the need would continue to grow over the next year. This stat is not surprising because technology can be very valuable in improving business operations. However, two challenges seem to stand in the way of supporting electronic collaboration: “convincing users to consistently take advantage of capabilities” and “encouraging users to contribute information into the system.” One of the questions that has arisen from these challenges is “Is there a group collaboration software that is simple for users to adopt?”

Since two-thirds of businesses collaborate using e-mail, one of the biggest tests for group collaboration software is whether it can integrate with e-mail. When considering the type of collaboration that takes place with e-mail, businesses see that e-mail collaboration includes attachments created mostly in Microsoft Office applications. This means there is another test for group collaboration software, “Can it integrate with Office applications.

User Friendly Group Collaboration Software

The first two challenges of adopting group collaboration software are not uncommon to adopting any new technology. Often times a new technology can be very intimidating. Is there group collaboration software out there that is user friendly?

First, it is important to recognize that group collaboration software packages available today include different components which vary according to the package you select. Most businesses may begin looking by typing “group collaboration software” in an online search engine. This will yield 19,500,000 indexed pages.

In order to narrow down your choices for a non-intimidating group collaboration software package, begin by searching for a package that does not require IT (information technology) infrastructure. This means that you do not have to add any new technology to your computer in order to use the software. No IT also means that the software works automatically with your applications, without having to install and maintain separate servers or applications. There is group collaboration that you can download and then sit back, relax, and let it work for you. Use the free demo option to see how the group collaboration software works for you.

Integrating Group Collaboration Software

More than half of technology users already collaborate almost daily using email and attachments. When searching for the right group collaboration software for your business, there are helpful technologies included in group collaboration software packages which make integration with email and MS Office possible.

Digital Thread technology allows group collaboration software to track documents as they are sent back and forth and altered. The Digital Signature displays the tracking information (the who’s, what’s, when’s, where’s, and how’s) every time you open any draft of the document from e-mail, your desktop, or any other drive on your computer. A Version History puts all of the tracking information together in a family tree of the document and its versions, making collaboration even easier because you always know what you are working on, where it has been, what changes have been made, who made them, and where it is saved.

A group collaboration software package which includes these technologies easily integrates with email and MS Office applications, even if there are others with whom you collaborate who do not yet have group collaboration software.

It is true that the need for group collaboration software is increasing rapidly, and so is the number of group collaboration software packages. These tips are meant to help you sift through the millions of options available to you and to help you to find group collaboration software that is user-friendly and that can integrate with the most commonly used office applications available.

Joe Miller is specialist in online advertising. For more information on group collaboration software, please visit NextPage.com.

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At this moment, as we write this article in the beginning of 2006, two international ERP vendors are aggressively launching their campaigns on the Brazilian ground: Microsoft Business Solutions with Microsoft Dynamics AX / Axapta (first quarter 2006) and SAP with SAP Business One (end of January/February 2006). Both companies have presence on the market in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro: SAP has mySAP-SAP R/3, sold, implemented and supported directly by SAP consultants (Sao Paulo SAP office) and Microsoft has Navision, supported by MBS partner channel. Plus SAP has SAP all-in-one, implemented through the partners. Here we are presenting our opinion on these campaigns and targeted clientele.

• Local ERPs: Microsiga has over 10% of the market and both Microsoft Business Solutions and SAP plan to appeal to Microsiga clientele. We could understand the plans, and obviously Microsiga has its own defense strategy - it fits to Brazilian taxation, payroll, government reporting. At the same time Microsoft, SAP and Oracle could play the card of international business requirements, especially from the management reporting standpoint.

• SAP Business One. If you look at SAP Business One market niche in the USA or Europe, all-in-one named user licensing program usually has minimum requirement of 2 users. In Brazil, SAP recently reconsidered it to be 5 users, that means that SAP BO doesn’t go down to the small businesses, but rather targets mid-size and even upper mid-size clients.

• Microsoft Axapta / Dynamics AX. As you know Microsoft has new name for its Project Green - now it is in the conception of Microsoft Dynamics. With Axapta and really ’starting from the ground’ - Microsoft is probably staking on Axapta as its future technology, and again it is probably would go down to the mid-market and even low mid-market with Axapta licensing. Currently Axapta is in localization beta testing mode - Brazilian taxes, Portuguese language (language is not a concern - taxes are a way more challenging).

• Oracle Financials / Applications. Oracle has long-time presence on the market here. If you are Oracle professional - you should be familiar with Oracle customization and localization technology. Oracle has LATAM localized code and portion of this is applicable to Brazil specifics.

• Multinational Companies. Both Microsoft Axapta and SAP Business One have very good positions to be chosen by Multinational corporation for it Brazilian subsidiary ERP. Both of them are localized, support Multilanguage (English and Portuguese are required in Brazil)

• Implementation Partner. In the case of multinational corporation - you need the ERP partner who is very familiar and experienced in international business, has presence in USA, Europe and Brazil

• CRM. Navision, Axapta, SAP Business One, Oracle Financials have CRM module / granule. Microsoft and Oracle have advanced CRM solutions: Microsoft CRM and Siebel respectively. Microsoft CRM has connectors to Microsoft Great Plains / Dynamics GP, Navision (through third party integration module) and Axapta integration is on the way. Also Microsoft CRM has connector to IBM Lotus Notes Domino, developed by Alba Spectrum Group, allowing you to protect the investment into Lotus Domino licenses.

• POS Connection (Point of Sale). Navision and Axapta have POS modules, for the small stores connection could be achieved via Microsoft Retail Management (Microsoft RMS)

Feel free to call us in US & Canada: 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, Latin America: So Paulo 55-11-3444-4949, Europe: Deutschland (0177) 8349 806, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Office, Alba Spectrum Group serves corporate clients in the following industries: Oil & Gas, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Tools & Machinery, Pharmaceutical, Mining, Services, Non-Profit, Advertising & Publishing, Distribution & Logistics, Transportation, Consignment, Food & Beverages, Restaurants Supply Chain, Textile, Building & Construction, Real Estate, Engineering & Project Management.

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