Google adds collaboration tools to Apps platform

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

February 28, 2008, 11:56 AM

The search giant resurrected Jotspot on Thursday, relaunching the company's technology in a new Google Apps application called 'Sites.'

Sites would allow users to create collaboration areas quickly and easily. Within them, users can include videos, calendars, presentations, and attachments. The information is then presented in a wiki-like interface.

Google says that anyone can create pages in Sites, even those who may not have experience in HTML. The application would be available in the Team, Standard, Premier, and Education editions of Google Apps.

"Creating a team web site has always been too complicated, requiring dedicated hardware and software as well as programming skills," enterprise chief Dave Girouard said. "We are literally adding an edit button to the web."

The sites platform draws significant portions of its code base from Jotspot, which Google acquired late in 2006. While some may see the platform as too basic, analysts say it may catch on among those who don't have the time or money to set up collaboration systems through Microsoft's SharePoint or IBM's Lotus Notes.

Among the first to use site will be the Washington, DC government, Zodiac Interactive, and UNC Greensboro, Google said.

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By skimore

posted Feb 28, 2008 - 2:48 PM

Hmmm.. why does google want to know what your company is doing?? How smart is it for a CIO/CTO or IT director to allow an extrenal company with google's history control such items..

Google is not know for it's high security on it apps..

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Feb 28, 2008 - 3:46 PM

with google's history

Eh....What?

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

edited Feb 28, 2008 - 12:31 PM

Link, Ed! Link!

Sure, we could Google it, but we're lazy bas****s.

http://www.google.com/a/...ntl/en/users/sites.html (Google Apps - Sites)

That aside;

This looks like a "Google" take on the company "intranet". Probably alright for companies that are small and regionally diverse that are not intending to put any confidential or private on them.

Our own intranet allows us to access several different areas depending on one's connection to our network and level within the company (including duties and job). A lot of information that could be gained from the intranet could simply not *legally* be hosted outside of our own network due to security and privacy concerns.

Score: 0