Be discerning about collaboration systems

Be discerning about collaboration systems

Date: Monday, September 19, 2005 Issue: 19 Sept
(Computing S.A.)
Category: Analysis

Computing SA Exclusive





The new dynamic business environment, combined with interdepartmental project teams spread across different locations, plus the use of multiple communication devices and fierce competition, has resulted in specific business requirements for a collaboration system.
This is the word from Daniel Hall, CEO of IA Systems, sole local distributor of Hummingbird content management solutions.
Meta Group has identified that collaboration: “underpins broad information-sharing investments, thereby reducing redundant intellectual property creation, and ensuring the leveraging of subject-matter experts. Collaboration enables companies to ignore geographical boundaries and work as virtual enterprises.”
Hall says: “Collaboration solutions that let your employees share expertise regardless of organisational boundaries are the key to rapid information dissemination and decision-making - and are, therefore, key to business success. But companies looking to go the collaboration route need to be discerning about the system that they choose to deploy.”
He adds: “Businesses need to make real-time decisions, and the only way to do that is to have information available at managers’ fingertips. This, in turn, requires a single repository for enterprise information, and demands a secure environment. Device independence is paramount to enable individuals to communicate with their chosen device and from any location. Business also has a strong requirement for simplified administration of multiple project and users.”
He says the case for collaboration is clear, and says emerging trends indicate that the greatest collaborative results are achieved when all forms of information - from e-mail to instant messaging, mobile devices, Web conferencing, extranets and teamware - are unified in an Enterprise Content Management solution.
This, he notes, is in line with Meta’s findings that by 2008, ‘contextual collaboration’ (an extension of ‘traditional’ collaboration) will span customers, employees, and partners. Hall, therefore, suggests that companies investigate the range of communication methods and devices supported by the collaboration solution in which they are interested.
Also, he identifies that collaboration is not necessarily a synchronous activity, with everyone working together at the same time. Rather, a collaboration solution should take into account asynchronicity, and should be closely integrated with the enterprise content management system to ensure best practice. In addition, he suggests that companies ensure that their collaboration solution includes high levels of security, particularly for communication needs, but also when it comes to access to documents.
“Look at the solution’s permissions model and ask specific questions. Is it customisable? Does it allow you to change permissions with ease, for instance within seconds of demoting an employee?” he suggests.
Hall says one of the hallmarks of a true collaborative solution is the ability to allow all team members to work in a mobile environment. “If your solution does not offer this, it is not truly collaborative - it is simply another content repository which will become out of date pretty quickly.”
Finally, Hall suggests companies investing in collaboration solutions investigate the localisation options available on the software. “Something that works in the US or Europe will not necessarily work in SA. We have specific conditions which determine how local companies will best collaborate. Ensure that your solution makes allowance for these conditions by being localised and customised,” he concludes.

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