With the influx of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, people are consuming and modifying information on the go. This would generally lead to having as many separate versions of a document as there are devices with the individual. But trudging through multiple copies of the same document across numerous personal devices from various different locations is a pain we no longer have to live with.
The internet has brought in the era of ‘cloud computing’ where instead of storing, managing, and processing data on a personal computer, one can use a mesh of remote servers connected via internet to do the needful. This collaborative approach ensures a single version of the information, makes it far simpler for many people to work on the same data simultaneously, drives efficiency and brings down costs. Today, there are quite a few tools available online that help further the virtual collaboration trend. Here, we list five of the most popular ones:
Google Docs - Real-Time Collaboration: Usable with an existing Gmail account, the anytime, anywhere accessibility of web-based documents, spreadsheets, drawings and presentations in Google Docs lets users edit the same file at the same time. This ensures that all users have the latest version of the file. The secure access controls also enables administrators to manage who gets to see and edit what file.
DropBox- File Hosting: DropBox, developed by two MIT students tired of emailing files to themselves, is the simplest illustration of storing in the cloud. For those who like to always have their stuff at hand and work on team projects, this tool provides the file sharing capabilities that would please the mind and the pocket alike. DropBox offers a free 2 GB account and is identical to the paid account in all aspects except for the amount of storage space offered.
Skype –Voice and Video Call Software: This application allows free voice calls to the Skype network of over 900 million users and has additional features like videoconferencing and file transfers. Once the user buys Skype Credit, it also allows calls to regular fixed landlines and mobile phones at very nominal charges. Owing to the peer-to-peer technology running at the back-end Skype is able to deliver better quality than the regular Instant Messaging tools.
BaseCamp- Project Collaboration: Through an online interface, BaseCamp offers feaures like to-do lists, milestone management, file sharing, and messaging. And to exploit the collaboration amongst the virtual tools there is cloudHQ, a web services and Google Chrome browser extension which lets BaseCamp users synchronize and edit their projects with Google Docs and DropBox storage.
Huddle- Project Management: Huddle makes organizing meetings much easier and helps chart the discussion boards for all the communication that takes place. It provides the highest levels of accessibility without compromising on security and authorization control. The tool also helps employees jot down their ideas, share it and receive feedback on their inputs in real-time from practically any place that has an internet access.
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