Enterprise Collaboration Software

Kent is the IT manager of a newly-established telecommunications company and has been tasked by his superior to look around for a software that will act as a sort of central information system for the office. It is envisioned to be the main point of contact between headquarters and the different teams who are working in different locations. Kent asked us on the best software to adopt that will unify the teams in terms of communicating.

“We are just trying to set up our office from the ground up and we are now scouting for an efficient software that will meet the communications demands of about 50 corporate employees and 250 members of our sales team spread across different geographic areas. We already have our smartphones and email but we want something that offers more, What kind of software do you recommend in this situation?” – Kent, Hawaii

Hello Kent, thanks for asking. Enterprise collaboration software is what we have in mind to recommend for you. This is a kind of system that combines software technologies, networking capabilities and collaborative processes for seamless communication among company members and the sales staff. Here you will find that it’s now easier for everyone to manage large projects, exchange information such as storing and accessing documents across networks and even trading instant messages in real time.

A small business often sees the need to adopt to an  enterprise collaboration software as the venture expands. And the reason is because this web based software can handle an increasingly large volume of data while managing workspaces, whether on-premise, purely cloud hosted or remote.

A good enterprise collaboration software encompasses the normal communications channels like videoconferencing, email, content management, file syncing and document sharing tools. Some of the newer versions have mobile support  , social media integration  and CRM components incorporated in the package.

When it comes to enterprise collaboration software, here are some reputable key players in the industry: Box, Citrix Podio, IBM Connections, Cisco WebEx Social, Jive Social Business Platform, Microsoft Sharepoint, Salesforce Chatter, Yammer and SAP Jam. It may also help to know what’s the most popular collaboration software being used by companies today.

Before making a purchase, it is worthwhile to check the website of the individual vendor, make a comparison and ask the support staff to show you a tour or demo on how the software performs.

You will find that most of the software out in the market today are priced competitively and are feature-packed. Make a list of their functionalities and determine what is best needed by your enterprise. Here are some basic characteristics to consider:

1. Ease of use – how is the interface and how friendly is it when you navigate the dashboard?
2. Does it have 24/7 live support? An important thing to consider when you seek to train staff or have issues with the software.
3. How secure is the collaborative working environment? You would want to steer away from malware, hacks and other threats to the system, especially with sensitive company data being exchanged around.

Good luck!

P.S. To understand more about collaboration software, I recommend the following helpful guides: easy to use collaboration software; and the top 10 collaboration software.

By Nestor Gilbert

Nestor Gilbert is a senior B2B and SaaS analyst and a core contributor at FinancesOnline for over 5 years. With his experience in software development and extensive knowledge of SaaS management, he writes mostly about emerging B2B technologies and their impact on the current business landscape. However, he also provides in-depth reviews on a wide range of software solutions to help businesses find suitable options for them. Through his work, he aims to help companies develop a more tech-forward approach to their operations and overcome their SaaS-related challenges.