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Groupware: Email, Calendars, Contacts & Tasks

Author: TechShortcut Staff | Article updated: February 5, 2010

1. Overview

Does your firm rely on meetings between employees to get work done? If the answer is yes then you should look into groupware. Groupware combines email with individual, group and meeting room calendars so that employees can coordinate and communicate efficiently to get the work done.

If you need detailed employee scheduling or time tracking for customer billing you will want to look at niche applications that specifically address those needs.

Features

Some applications include more features for sharing knowledge, collaboration and document management but the following list includes the basics.

Email
Send and receive emails. Decide whether you will need to integrate the email with other applications you may have.
Contacts
Detailed contact information with the ability to create groups of contacts. Company address books make it easy to find anyone in the company.
Calendar
Manage meetings and other commitments for individuals and groups.
Tasks
Manage tasks or to do lists for individuals and groups.

Implementation Options

1. In-House Groupware	2. Internet Groupware Service
Install the groupware server on your server or a leased server. Some groupware applications require client software be installed in addition to server software. You will also need to decide to allow users to access the groupware through the Internet to provide anytime anywhere access.	An Internet-based application that requires no installation.

2. Option Comparison

	1. In-House Groupware Software	2. Internet Groupware Service
Requirements	None	Internet connection—preferably DSL, T1 or cable.
Cost Factors	Hardware
	A server	None
	Software
	Groupware server software and possibly client software	None
	Labor
	Install, configure & upgrade	Configure
	Services
	None	Usually a monthly fee per user from $5 per month and up
Integration Show/Hide details Integration needs can include email client software and your accounting system. Do you need to send emails to the accounting system to associate with customers or suppliers? Will you use your existing email client software or switch to using a web browser for email?	Possibly	Possibly
Anywhere Access Show/Hide details Will you need to provide access for users in more than one location?	Possibly, it depends on the software	Yes
Mobile Device Access Show/Hide details Will you need to provide access for users with handheld or other mobile devices?	Likely, it depends on the software	Likely, it depends on the software
Electronic Backup & Archiving Included	No	Yes

3. Next Steps

One of the most important aspects of groupware is email because it represents a crucial communication channel. When choosing a groupware application it is imperative that you understand the email server capabilities in terms of reliability, administration, anti-spam and security.

	1. In-House Groupware Software	2. Internet Groupware Service
General Advice	Use when you have the desire and resources to administer the groupware or when Internet access is not a priority.	Use when collaboration and mobility are key.
Find Local Tech Specialists Search TechShortcut's tech profiles for specialists in your area	Groupware
Find More Information Use Research Helper to find related web articles	Groupware Server	Groupware Online Service
Examples of Products and Services These are not endorsements, simply some product or service names we encountered in our research to get you started finding your best fit.	IBM Lotus Messaging Express Starter Pack Microsoft Exchange Server with Outlook¹ Novell Groupwise Open-Xchange² Zimbra ¹ Microsoft Small Business Server includes Exchange Server ² Open source/free	BlueTie Google Apps HyperOffice IBM LotusLive Microsoft Exchange Online Zimbra Zoho Business ¹ ¹ Offers a free version