As companies evolve into the Twenty-First Century the 8:00am to 5:00pm workday is becoming a thing of the past. Employees seek a different lifestyle; family has become a higher priority ranking as high if not higher than work. Companies can achieve efficiency and offer flexibility to their employees by implementing some of the sophisticated hardware and software available today that allows employees to collaborate. There are tasks and professions that lend themselves a remote office environment and others that don't. Therefore, it is important to understand that collaboration in the manner defined here is not for every company.

Recently IBM CEO Samuel J. Palmisano said in a conference for Innovative companies: "Today, innovation is about much more than new products. It is about reinventing business processes and building entirely new markets that meet untapped customer needs. Most important, as the Internet and globalization widen the pool of new ideas, it's about selecting the right ideas and bringing them to market in record time" - Business Week: April 24, 2006.

Collaboration is defined as "To work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort". According to www.dictionary.com an effort can be: "a presentation, a project a design, a task or a strategy". As companies have a mixed environment and want to accelerate production and efficiencies where employees reside outside of the main office; at home, on trips or in a different office of the country, the need for an effective collaboration environment is necessary.

However a few elements must be considered if efficiency and productivity is going to be achieved through collaboration.

1. Employees must know and understand their roles within the company. They also need to know how to use a computer and software effectively.
2. The Employees must be conscious of the responsibility to perform unsupervised in order to do what it is necessary to perform the job tasks.
3. Technology must be implemented within the company at various levels. Both hardware and software must be installed in a secured manner so collaboration can be effective.

There are different types of software available today thanks to the Internet. These different types of software offer different advantages and benefits. So selecting the right tool or tools for your company will be one of the keys to achieve efficiency and productivity.

You can implement one, two or all of these tools. Just be careful; each of the software package offers advantages and disadvantages. Be aware that once a tool is implemented it will be hard to keep controls and take it away - resentment from your employees would lead to very low moral.

Extranet -
An extranet is a private network that uses the Internet protocols and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a company's information or operations with its: suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses. An extranet can be viewed as part of a company's intranet that is extended to users outside the company. An extranet requires security and privacy. These require firewall server management, the issuance and use of digital certificates (depending on type of information entered) or similar means of user authentication, encryption of messages, and the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) that tunnel through the public network.

Extranet - Benefits

1. Extranets such as eConnect will enable smaller companies to enjoy the benefits of extranets that up to now have only been available to large companies
2. An extranet provides a way of sharing up-to-the-minute documents and information for technical staff.
3. Improved communication and efficiency with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses.
4. Common applications in an Extranet include: document sharing, bulletin boards, administration forms, phone lists, calendars, customer support and many others.
5. Applications can also be customized to suit the needs of each company and existing applications can be easily integrated into the extranet.
6. An extranet enables customers, distributors and suppliers to access all the information they need, from wherever they are as long as a connection to the Internet exists.
7. Security of information is assured throughout the system and users and groups are only able to physically see what their access level allows.

Disadvantages

1. There is a financial investment for the software and infrastructure.
2. There is an investment on training the staff.
3. There needs to be personnel allocated to setup and maintain the extranet.
4. The company must communicate and train; suppliers, vendors, partners, customers to use the extranet.

Steps for a Successful Extranet Implementation

1. Select the correct extranet software - such as eConnect
2. Decide the type of information to be shared
3. Decide the type of applications to be used in the extranet
4. Create segments (groups of users) to access the Internet
5. Select personnel for document management & maintenance
6. Market the extranet
7. Provide training for staff, vendors, customers
8. Implement the extranet -
9. Ask for feedback from users - and improve as necessary.

Intranet -
An intranet is similar to an extranet in that it is a private network that uses the Internet protocols and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a Company's information or operations with its employees or members but it is only for those inside the company. An intranet requires security and privacy. These require firewall server management, or similar means of user authentication, encryption of messages, and the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) that tunnel through the private network.

Intranet - Benefits

1. Intranets such as eConnect will enable smaller companies to enjoy the benefits of intranets that up to now have only been available to large companies.
2. An Intranet provides a way of sharing up-to-the-minute documents and information for anyone within the company. This is especially beneficial for companies with multiple locations.
3. An intranet offers improved communication and efficiency within the company. Because it allows for the implementation of company policies and procedures, access to human resources forms, applications for vacations, a bulletin board for shared ideas to improve company environment, and access to email from outside of the company.
4. Common applications in an intranet include: document sharing, bulletin boards, administration forms, phone lists, calendars, employee support and many others.
5. Applications can also be customized to suit the needs of each company and existing applications can be easily integrated into the intranet.
6. An intranet allows employees to access resources from outside of the office.
7. Security of information is assured throughout the system and users and groups are only able to physically see what their access level allows.

Disadvantages

1. There is a financial investment for the software and infrastructure.
2. There is an investment on training the staff.
3. There needs to be personnel allocated to setup and maintain the intranet.
4. The company must communicate and train employees and members of the company to use the intranet.

Steps for a Successful Intranet Implementation

1. Select the correct intranet software - such as eConnect
2. Decide the type of information to be shared
3. Decide the type of applications to be used in the intranet
4. Create segments (groups of users) to access the Internet
5. Select personnel for document management & maintenance
6. Publicize the intranet internally
7. Provide training for the internal staff
8. Implement the intranet -
9. Ask for feedback from users - and improve as necessary.

What is Imail (Instant Messenger) -
Instant messaging requires the use of a client software program that hooks up an instant messaging service and differs from e-mail in that conversations are able to happen in real-time. Newer versions of Imail allow even a Video image while communicating by typing.

Most services offer a presence information feature, indicating whether people on one's list of contacts are currently online and available to chat. This may be called a 'Buddy List'. In early instant messaging programs, each letter appeared as it was typed, and when letters were deleted to correct typos this was also seen in real time. This made it more like a telephone conversation than exchanging letters. In modern instant messaging programs, the other party in the conversation generally only sees each line of text right after a new line is started. Most instant messaging applications also include the ability to set a status message, roughly analogous to the message on a telephone answering machine.

Popular instant messaging services on the public Internet include Qnext, MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Skype, Google Talk, .NET Messenger Service, Jabber, QQ, iChat and ICQ.

Imail - Benefits

1. Imail will enable smaller companies or people to communicate anywhere in the world at no cost. The only elements necessary are a computer attached to the Internet and downloading an Imail client software.
2. Imail provides a way of discussing up-to-the-minute information.
3. Imail allows for improved communication and efficiency within the company: It can be effective if phones are not available and the information to be exchanged is quick. In our office we use it for quick questions. It works well as long as it is not over-used.
4. Common reasons to use it are: quick questions and collaboration with personnel outside of the office for real-time communication.
5. It is easy to implement, use and learn.

Disadvantages

1. It can be distracting if it is overused.
2. Usually a company such as MSN provides the infrastructure and software. However the users are subject to advertisements.
3. It is hard to monitor if friends or co-workers are contacting the employees.

Additional information about Imail can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_messenger

Steps for a Successful Imail Implementation

1. Select the correct Imail software - see software mentioned.
2. Decide the type of information to be shared
3. Create policy for Imail within company.
4. Provide training for the internal staff
5. Implement Imail -
6. Monitor for abuse.

Additional software/hardware that allows collaboration:

PDA: The subject of this discussion is mobile handheld devices that provide a range of personal information management, voice communication, data communication (email), and a subset of computing capabilities. These range through the current categories (PDAs and SmartPhones), which are already blending and changing themselves.

Web Conferencing: the ability to attend a conference remotely. This is most common when discussing a PowerPoint presentation online. Usually sound is via telephone and visual via a computer attached to the Internet.

Bulletin Boards: Widely used to create communities within a website; for sharing ideas and collaborating.

By Ricardo Ortizcazarin
President of Cazarin Web Group.