Document collaboration

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Document collaboration is a process when several people collaboratively share one document to work at composing of its content, or in order of using it for their needs. Today, the conception mainly refers to documents transferred into electronic (also called digital or computer-based) format, because this technology facilitates and streamlines storing and systematizing documents, along with making a system more faultless and convenient. In other words, computer-based collaboration can be performed through means provided by that software that features capabilities for collaborative editing, reviewing and systematizing documents. There are different companies working in this market segment, including giants like Microsoft. As the simplest example of Microsoft tools we can mention MS Excel that allows its files to be shared concurrently by several users. Let’s consider main types of tools in the following paragraph:

Single-purpose collaboration tools – this type was specifically designed for organizing archives of electronic documents; they can have very powerful documents-oriented functionality and be quite complex and expensive. This universal kind of software streamlines documents archiving and circulation without regard to their content, and allows multiple team members to search for specific data through all the documents along with editing their content on collaborative basis. This technology can be called online collaboration because documents are accessed and shared in real-time regime. Such software can work within your LAN or via Internet.
Function-related document collaboration system – this type means a web-based program which purpose is not focused only on servicing file circulation, but rather is concentrated at other business functions (for example it could be project management). For such software, providing user collaboration is just a supportive service supplemental to the main functionality. As an example we can mentioned VIP Task Manager which is a software system in terms of related tasks, time, costs etc; specifically, it has capabilities making a project workgroup able to share their documents.

Technologies and examples

Web-based: sometimes it works through the Internet, using web-browsers and interfaces working with a help of technologies like PHP. Google collaboration is a striking example; with its help you can share a tool that has functions and appearance close to Windows Notepad editor. It is example of free tool which is good for sharing some lay textual content, but for serious document management it is too primitive.

LAN-based: There are a lot of solutions of this kind, functioning through your corporate computational facilities. For example, we can mention advanced Microsoft solutions represented by Sharepoint services which are given as a free collaborative addition to paid MS Sharepoint server.

Open-source: There are some open source applications which allow you to modify their program code to get tailored solutions matching your specific and most sophisticated needs, however, such open source document collaboration software is good only for big companies with qualified IT staffs. Usually such products are distributed as free tools .

Specific example of task management software with capability:
VIP Task Manager is client-server project management software with features that allow you to access documents placed within your LAN or documents saved in read-only format. It can be deployed over your network just in several minutes. This product will help you to manage tasks , schedule s and assignments on any business tasks in terms of your daily jobs, processes and projects . This is not free software , but effective commercial product with qualified support and regular updates. You can download free trial version to evaluate it during 30 days.

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