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GCN Home > 02/28/08 web stories

Google unveils low-cost collaboration platform

By Joab Jackson

Google has introduced features to its online Google Apps service that will allow groups to share documents over the Internet.

The company intends to offer the service, called Google Sites, as an low-cost alternative to Microsoft SharePoint and other commercial collaboration packages. Company officials hope users will use Google Sites as an easy way to work together on a group project without involving their information technology departments, said Rishi Chandra, product manager at Google Apps.

Most collaboration software "involves significant training and significant implementation and they end up being a pretty heavy burden for IT to maintain," Chandra said. "The goal is to let end users create sites, and bring information together."

Google Sites allows a user to establish a central portal for collaborative project by using a graphical interface. The site offers a repository to store documents and post announcements. Other users can be invited to participate through their GMail accounts. The project site can be restricted to specified users, or it can be published for public access.

Once the site is established, the manager can add other Google services to help participants work together. Google's word processor, presentation and spreadsheet tools allow multiple parties to work on a single document. The calendar service can be used to schedule meetings. The task manager can keep track of the project's management. Participants hold chats through Google's messaging service. Photo slideshows are offered through the Google Picasso photo service.

In addition, Google also offers small programs, called Google Gadgets, that can be used to run dashboards and other analysis tools. Google Sites also offers an alert feature that can e-mail participants whenever a change to a document has been made.

By offering these features as a service, Google is hoping to lure potential users of commercial collaboration software, particularly those who are eager to get started on their shared work as soon as possible.

"Collaboration is a pain point for any organization," Chandra said. Software must be licensed and then installed, a time-consuming process that may slow the forward progress of a project getting underway.

More news on related topics: Software Applications, Web Strategies, Workflow / Collaboration



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