Collaboration Software Solutions for the SMB and Midmarket
Who’s using Collaboration Software?
Smart companies, ranging from midsize all the way to enterprise, are turning to collaboration software to solve their biggest obstacles to business productivity. Users include universities, research departments, marketing companies, consulting firms, IT companies and creative agencies to run their business more efficiently, while reducing overhead costs and budgets. A recent Frost and Sullivan study in 2009 revealed that of the 3,662 organizations surveyed, 44 percent of the companies were investing in collaboration tools, and experts predict that online collaboration will be one of the top best practices for businesses in 2010.
All collaboration solutions, however, are not made equal. While Microsoft Sharepoint is the market leader, the high and hidden costs of SharePoint make adoption and implementation nearly impossible for SMB and midmarket businesses. The key to choosing the right collaboration software lies in finding the right mix of functionality, affordability and scalability in your solution.
Functionality
The functionality of your collaboration solution depends on your team’s needs. Here’s a table of the basic features you should look for:
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Powerful Reporting: Create Charts, Graphs,Spreadsheets and Reports |
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Easy Online File Sharing: Share Files and Folders with Document Revision Controls |
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Effective Task Management: Manage Online Calendars, Task lists, Milestones, and Due Dates |
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Team Collaboration Tools: Manage Team Communication, including Email |
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Social Technology: Connect via Microblogging and Social Technology Features |
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Secure Data: Enterprise Grade Security with Remote Backup Data Servers & Guaranteed Up Time |
Affordability
On Premises vs SaaS – On premises solutions are platforms that require hardware operating systems. While on premises solutions allow maximum data security, you must keep in mind the high investment costs, including hardware, installation, maintenance and IT staffing. SaaS, Software as a Service solutions are growing in popularity, particularly for their low, month to month subscription model, ease-of-use and their scalability to grow with expanding companies.
How Does Online Collaboration Save Time and Money?
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) project management solutions are web-based, so you’ll never have to pay for expensive IT, hardware maintenance or upgrade fees again. SaaS users also report significant decreases in travel time and costs, because it allows business teams scattered all over the world to collaborate online via web conferencing tools, discussion threads, online forums and intranets.
E-mail inboxes become cluttered and impossible to navigate as we receive a mix of project documents, personal messages, company notifications and junk e-mail each day. A good online project management solution lessens this clutter by allowing team members to communicate constantly throughout the day via Web conferencing, discussion threads and status updates.
Questions to Ask:
- Look for SaaS Solutions – Opt for a SaaS solution. SaaS means software as a service, as opposed to hardware/on premises solutions, and they don’t require expensive installation and maintenance.
- You Need Easy Implementation – Make sure that implementation of the solution across your entire company will not be difficult, expensive nor time-consuming. Request an implementation plan or strategy and how long the implementation is expected to last before the solution is full integrated.
- Make Sure your Tool is User-Friendly – Your collaboration solution should be user friendly, so that even the most non-tech saavy member of your team can easily adopt it.
- Make Sure Your Solution has Enterprise Grade Security – One of the most important features of any collaboration software is security. Make sure that your solution meets Fortune 500 security requirements, under which your data will be protected and secure.
- You’ll Need Flexibility – A collaboration platform must be flexible, since there are probably a diversity of computer and OS users in your company. Make sure your solution works for multiple browsers, Mac, PC and has mobile phone support.
- Check for Scalability – Scalability is another thing to keep in mind. If you’re company is growing (which we hope it is), you need to think ahead to when your team multiplies by two, three or four times its size. Will your solution grow with you? If not, it’s better to dump it now.
- Ask for Implementation Support – After you’ve purchased your solution, you’re going to need to implement it across your company and get everyone on board in the most efficient and timely way. Good collaboration solutions offer an Implementation Specialist who can guide you through your company’s transition into the platform.
- See if your Solution Has a Back up Storage Facility – Check to see that your collaboration solution provider has a backup storage facility. Even better, check to see which solutions have more than one data storage back up location. The more, the better.
- Make Sure You’re Getting Ample Storage – Make sure you are getting enough storage. Once your data storage is exhausted, extra storage space can be costly.
