Enterprise Collaboration with Apps Requires a Strong Infrastructure

Google's recent Industrial Organizational conference featured an app from Symphonical, which utilizes the existing world of Google+. The article "Enterprise Collaboration App Earns Google's Spotlight" discusses how they came to be invovled with this conference and some specs on the app itself.

Still in beta mode, the app from Symphonical has about 3,000 users. Symphonical creates another area for collaboration amoungst multiple enterprise users. They can create content together in Hangouts and save it to return working on it later by using their Google ID to login to their data stored on Symphonical's website. 

According to the article:

Symphonical is unique in being an enterprise app featured on Google's social networking offering, Google+. Of course, with a simple, intuitive interface, the app's uses aren't limited to the enterprise uses Google spotlights in its announcement. Haugland described event planning and school projects as some of its uses, for instance. The app is arguably easier to use within Hangouts than Google Docs, which Google has pitched to enterprise users. It offers three different privacy settings for content shared. 

This particular app has recieved criticism from users in regards to application integration. However, apps can be a lucrative way to push collaboration amongst employees. The first step is a shared and single point of access to information for all employees through the infrastructure component, Information at Work.

Megan Feil, July 5, 2012