Groupware selection

Running Head: GROUPWARE SELECTION FOR SMALL BUSINESS IN US

Groupware selection for small businesses in US

Kshitij Chaudhari

Stratford University

April 8, 2023

I have read and understand Stratford University’s Academic Integrity Policy. I promise to conduct myself with integrity in submission of all academic work to the University and will not give or receive unauthorized assistance for the completion of the assignments, research papers, examination or other work. I understand that violations of the Academic Integrity Policy will lead to disciplinary action against me, up to and including suspension or expulsion from the University. I understand that all students play a role in preserving the academic integrity of the University and have an obligation to report violations of the Academic Integrity Policy committed by other students.

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Groupware selection

Introduction

With the advent of the better technology and networking as well as the hardware

and software to complement the changes there is a significant change in the software

solutions available for the current business practices in the market. The changes in

hardware have led to better processing in a limited space and the advent of the mobile

devices has flooded the business world. All the work for a business can be conveyed or

controlled from a mobile device like a Blackberry, Apple iPhone or Windows based

Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) or Smartphone. The changes in hardware have allowed

the software companies to provide fully featured applications for the new hardware in a

compact casing. Today’s mobile devices tend to fully acknowledge the term portable,

economic and full-featured. These changes have a brought about a new range of software

solutions for small businesses in the market.

Small Businesses have become aware of technologies evolving around them. The

use and optimized effort required thereafter have captured the attention of these small

businesses. The market however is has a number of offering for the small business

owners which tends to create a dilemma of choice. Small businesses need to assess the

current market options and select the most suitable alternative for them. Most small

businesses today require a basic package of communication and company intranet

services (Logistics World, 2009). The problem then arises is to select an appropriate

variant that can satisfy all major requirements of small business owners. The paper deals

with finding such solution. However, the number of options available in the market is too

many to be all compared in a single turn. Hence, this paper deals with three major

solution providers in the groupware technology for small businesses.

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Groupware selection

The study is limited to small businesses in United States and deals mainly with

small businesses classified such under the United States’ legal definition of small

businesses (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2009). The study depends on the finding

of the Forrester report 2009 for small and medium size businesses (SMB) and the finding

deduced therein. The terms for used in the report point to certain specific forms of

interpretation.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) defines a business concern as one that

is organized for profit; has a place of business in the U.S.; operates primarily within the

U.S. or makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or

use of American products, materials or labor; is independently owned and operated; and

is not dominant in its field on a national basis. The business may be a sole proprietorship,

partnership, corporation, or any other legal form (U.S. Small Business Administration,

2009). Forrester report 2009 is the report named ‘The state of SMB IT budgets 2009’

conducted by Heidi Lo and Andrew Bartels for Forrester Research, Inc. published Aug

07, 2009. The legal definition for groupware constitutes;

Groupware is a category of software designed to help groups work together by

facilitating the exchange of information among group members who may or may not be

located in the same office. Groupware is an ideal mechanism for sharing less-structured

information (for example, text or diagrams, as opposed to fielded or structured data) that

might not otherwise be accessible to others. It is also used to define workflow, so that as

one user completes a step in a project or process, the person responsible for the next step

is notified automatically. (US Legal, 2009).

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Groupware selection

However, within the confines of this paper the generally accepted form of

groupware will deal with basic collection of communication software for small business

owners. These software solutions will constitute primarily of email, chat, video

conference, calendar, wiki management, forms or process management and web content

management. The list of all the definition for these terms is provided in appendix A.

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Groupware selection

Review of Literature

Groupware are classified as collaborative software that is categorized under

Content Management System (CMS) software applications. CMS basically is an

application that deals with all the content connected to an e-business (Enterprise Content

Management, 2008). Groupware is software that can be used by a group of people who

are working on the same information but may be distributed in space (Search Domino,

2009). Groupware is technology designed to facilitate the work of groups. This

technology may be used to communicate, cooperate, coordinate, solve problems,

compete, or negotiate. While traditional technologies like the telephone qualify as

groupware, the term is ordinarily used to refer to a specific class of technologies relying

on modern computer networks, such as email, newsgroups, videophones, or chat

(Enterprise Content Management, 2008).

Groupware technologies are typically categorized along two primary dimensions:

1. whether users of the groupware are working together at the same time ("real-time"

or "synchronous" groupware) or different times ("asynchronous" groupware), and

2. Whether users are working together in the same place ("co-located" or "face-to-

face") or in different places ("non co-located" or "distance") (Bates, 1999).

Table 1 Groupware classification (source: Bates, 1999)

Same time (synchronous)Different time

(asynchronous)

Same Place (co-located) Voting, Presentation support Shared computers

Different Place (distance) Videophones, chat Email, Workflow

Types of Groupware

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Groupware selection

1. Asynchronous groupware

a. Email is by far the most common groupware application (besides of course, the

traditional telephone). While the basic technology is designed to pass simple

messages between 2 people, even relatively basic email systems today typically

include interesting features for forwarding messages, filing messages, creating

mailing groups, and attaching files with a message.

b. Newsgroups and mailing lists are similar in spirit to email systems except that

they are intended for messages among large groups of people instead of 1-to-1

communication.

c. Hypertext (now called wiki) is a system for linking text documents to each other,

with the Web being an obvious example. Whenever multiple people author and

link documents, the system becomes group work, constantly evolving and

responding to others' work.

d. Group calendars allow scheduling, project management, and coordination among

many people, and may provide support for scheduling equipment as well.

e. Collaborative writing systems may provide both real-time support and non real-

time support. Word processors may provide asynchronous support by showing

authorship and by allowing users to track changes and make annotations to

documents.

2. Synchronous or real-time groupware

a. Shared whiteboards allow two or more people to view and draw on a shared

drawing surface even from different locations.

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Groupware selection

b. Video communications systems allow two-way or multi-way calling with live

video, essentially a telephone system with an additional visual component. Chat

systems permit many people to write messages in real-time in a public space.

c. Application sharing is when the same application is shared between people for a

collaborative work effort irrespective of space share. Decision support

systems are designed to facilitate groups in decision-making. They provide tools

for brainstorming, critiquing ideas, putting weights and probabilities on events

and alternatives, and voting.

None of the current research papers delineate a specific method for selection or a

software solution for small business owners. The review of literature around the topic has

divided opinions on the fact that a common solution for all the small businesses may or

may not be viable. However, since all the small business owners tend to create a

communication channel using software solutions the specific type of groupware selected

for the research is general purpose and is required by all the small business owners

(Enterprise Content Management, 2008).

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Groupware selection

Method

The research paper deals with providing an efficient and optimal solution for the

groupware selection problem for small businesses. Some of the questions that arise when

trying to solve this problem are intermittently required for the solution. The research

paper will consider only three viable solutions for comparison and the viability of these

three solutions needs to be established before the main problem is tackled. When the

three solutions are shortlisted the quantifiable form of measurement is to be set for the

comparison of software solutions. This setting will be primarily based on the Forrester

research report described in the previous part. The report conclusion will serve as

quantifiable parameter for comparison. The features will be weighted and assessed during

the comparison for the solutions and an outcome will be calculated.

For the three solutions to be shortlisted, ample survey of literature and software

solutions available in market is to be assessed. Most solutions are module based and will

be short on certain features required for a small business. All the solutions to be

shortlisted have to adhere to the basic feature list. This includes, email, and chat, video

conference, calendar shared and personal, wiki management, web content management,

form management and process management. Of all popular enterprise solutions used by

corporations other than SMB’s include Oracle, SAP and PeoplSoft. However, the cost

and client service provided by these solution providers is on a larger scale and not

suitable for small businesses. Other solutions commonly available and usable include

Microsoft SharePoint, LotusLive and Google Apps.

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Groupware selection

A. Microsoft SharePoint

This is an upcoming collaborative social computing groupware from Microsoft. The

application will be a part of the latest Microsoft Office 2010 but will also be sold

separately as Microsoft SharePoint 2010. The software aims at providing a social

computing platform for enterprises and assists them with better integrated software as a

service application. The software is proprietary and hence would not be modifiable or

customizable for any form of enterprise. However, the generalized form has enough

options to suit enterprise of any and all sizes (Microsoft, 2009).

Features

a. Manage diverse content - The document management capabilities in the Microsoft

integrated solution can help organizations consolidate diverse content from

multiple file shares and personal drives into a centrally managed repository that

has consistent categorization.

b. Satisfy compliance and legal requirements - The Microsoft solution also includes

integrated records management capabilities that give organizations the capability

to store and protect business records in their final state.

c. Efficiently manage multiple Web sites - Integrated Web content management

capabilities enable people to publish Web content with an easy-to-use content

authoring tool and a built-in approval process.

d. Streamline business processes - The Microsoft solution enables businesses to

streamline content-driven, collaborative business processes by providing the tools

and platform to automate tasks. The Microsoft solution provides capabilities to

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Groupware selection

manage the entire life cycle of unstructured content, from creation to expiration,

on a single unified platform. These capabilities include: 

Document management (documents, images, media files compatible with

Microsoft Office suite)

Records management (database management and automated query based results)

Web content management (includes chat, video conferencing, application and

whiteboard sharing, website management, etc)

Forms solutions (create and distribute forms)

B. LotusLive

Lotus has lost a lot of credibility over the years due to its slacking on the technology front

but with this latest collaborative software as a service (SaaS) offering it will be

competing with the big leagues. The application will provide all the basic functionality

and will be competitively priced against the SharePoint alternative. This product

however, is available in a module based form wherein the company can choose to buy

selected modules as necessary (IBM corp., 2009).

Features

a. Extensive Lotus Notes expertise available 24x7 from IBM

b. Automated processes and an integrated platform keep costs lower

c. Support a faster implementation with an established infrastructure and a team of

subject matter experts.

d. E-mail, calendaring and scheduling (1 GB mailbox per user)

e. IBM support to help manage security in your messaging environment

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Groupware selection

f. Transparent, demonstrable security and data management practices that satisfy the

requirements of most businesses.

g. Host meetings online Includes all the features of LotusLive Meetings

h. Store and share files Use a Web browser to access your files from anywhere with

world-class security features.

i. Manage team activities Break out of your inbox and into Activities to streamline

your work with others.

j. Chat with colleagues Use instant messaging to chat with LotusLive users.

k. Create charts with different types of visualizations, graphs, diagrams, and maps

with Live Charts.

l. Create surveys and forms with customized templates or create your own surveys

and business forms.

m. Connect with colleagues and keep track of your clients and customers, important

dates and events. Connect with others to share contact information.

C. Google Apps

Google has dominated the internet since its beginning and is geared towards entering the

enterprise based applications to establish its presence online. This product offered by

Google has a limited usability and is cheaper compared to the other two. The price is

charged as SaaS per person usage in the company (Google, 2009).

Features

a. Email accounts with 25 GB of storage per user and instant search tools

b. IM, plus voice and video chat

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Groupware selection

c. Group calendaring system

d. Mobile access

e. Spam and virus filtering

f. Web-powered collaboration apps: Google Docs, Google Sites and Google Video

for businesses

g. Essential collaboration apps – Google Docs, Google Video and Google Sites are

included.

h. Continuous innovation – Put the web's rapid pace of innovation to work for your

business. 

i. Smoother information sharing – Improve traditional software with more efficient

collaboration.

j. Worker mobility – Access your data from anywhere. Employees can be

productive from any computer.

k. Information access control – Each piece of content can be as private or as public

as necessary.

l. Enterprise-class service – Google Apps includes a 99.9% uptime service level

agreement (SLA). Phone support is available for critical issues.

m. Secure infrastructure – Multiple layers of protection keep your business data safe

and secure.

All of the above three software solutions perfectly adhere to the norms set in the

beginning. The target consumers for these solutions are small and mid size businesses

and they provide the services customized for their clients. Hence, these three software

solutions are shortlisted for comparison for this research paper. The final software

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Groupware selection

solution will be selected from these alternatives namely; Microsoft SharePoint,

LotusLive, and Google Apps.

The four main selective criterion small business are looking for in their software

solution expenditure are proprietary software solution, readily available solution, a SaaS

based solution with lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and higher spending percentage

on information technology solutions than their enterprise based counterparts (Brown,

2009). According to the Forrester report 2009 these conclusions shatter a lot of

previously held misconceptions and also pave a way for newer acceptability for SaaS

based businesses in the future (Brown, 2009). Of the total 100 points to be reported for

each software solution the parameters will be weighted on the above conclusions. The

four main concerns will be equally weighted 20 points and the remaining will be

distributed among features and miscellaneous options (See Table 2).

Table 2 Parameter weight breakdown

Parameter Points (100) Reasoning

Proprietary software 20 Forrester research findings

Platform and readiness 20 Forrester research findings

Features and Periodic costs 20 Forrester research - TCO

Cost for installation 20 Forrester research findings

Service, security and uptime 10 Basic functionality

Mobile support 5 Extended functionality

User Interface 5 Extended functionality

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Groupware selection

Now that the weighted scale for comparison is established the next step is to compare the

three variants of software with all the available parameters. Once the comparison is

complete each software solution is awarded points according to the scale. Eventually

these points will be summed up to clarify an acceptable choice of software solution for

small business owners.

On the following page is the table for comparison of features among the three

shortlisted software solutions. The table also lists the points to be assigned for each

feature present in the software (See Table 3). The table also delineates the salient features

of all three shortlisted candidates. Following the setting of points to features, the points

are allotted to the three software applications. A top concern with small business owners

is that the application needs to be proprietary. Table 4 details the allotment of 20 points to

the three candidates. Since Google Apps is open source software and has almost no

proprietary form it has been allotted no points for this feature. Table 5 assigns points for

the platform the application can work on and the readiness of the software application

package out-of-the-box. Costs and the installation price for each one is used as a

parameter for point allotment in Table 6. Periodic costs are the costs that occur after the

installation on a periodic basis. Table 7 allots points for periodic costs and features

available in each software application. Table 8 distributes points for security, service and

Service Level Agreement (SLA) uptime. Table 9 parameters are mobile support and user

interface. Eventually, we calculate the total points for each software application and

tabulate it (See Table 10).

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Groupware selection

Table 3 Comparison of parameters

Points Parameter Microsoft SharePoint 2010 LotusLive (Engage) Google Apps

10 CostApprox. $100 single licenseBulk fee approx $60 every

1000 licenses

Module basedFor premium package $150

single licenseBulk prices may vary

accordingly

Flat rate $50 per user licenseSeparate rates for non-profits, schools, ISP,

developers and resellers

15 Software type Proprietary Proprietary Open Source (customizable)20 Platform Windows Operating Systems Platform Independent Platform Independent5 Collaboration Real time synchronous Real time synchronous Real time synchronous5 Email and Chat/Video conference Yes (5GB) Yes (1GB) Yes (25 GB)1 Calendar scheduling and sharing Yes Yes Yes1 Web content and Wiki management Yes Yes Yes1 Forms/Process management Yes Yes Yes1 Social computing (profile pages, etc) Not specific Yes Yes1 Search features Yes, indexing based search Yes, Basic search feature Yes, excellent integration

3 User InterfaceStandard Microsoft Office like

interfaceWeb 2.0 interface, very

appealingBasic but intuitive interface

5 Security Very good Excellent Basic security features1 File limitations Almost none Comparatively none Limited

Hardware requirements advanced None, existing hardware None, existing hardwareSoftware requirements Windows OS required Browser required Browser required

5 Mobile device support Yes, Microsoft Exchange Conditional Yes4 Upgrades Need to be purchased Free since SaaS Free since SaaS

2 Look and feelFormal, requires getting used

toExcellent, no basics required

Similar to Google applications

10 Upside

Microsoft product hence integration is excellent as well

as familiar look and feel. Service is timely.

Web 2.0 interface in appealing and module based. 24x7 service

provision and no upgrade cost.

Cheap and free upgrades.

10 DownsideVery expensive, no upgrade is

freeExpensive

Service for critical issues, security

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Groupware selection

Table 4 Parameter 1 Proprietary Software

Proprietary Software Solution Points (Total 20) Reason

Microsoft SharePoint 20 Fully proprietary

LotusLive 20 Fully proprietary

Google Apps 0 Open Source

Table 5 Platform and readiness parameter

Platform & Readiness Points (Total 20) Reason

Microsoft SharePoint 15Works only on Windows Platform

but is ready to use

LotusLive 20Platform independent and ready to

use

Google Apps 20Platform independent and ready to

use/customizable

Table 6 Cost of software and installation

Cost of Installation Points (Total 20) Reason

Microsoft SharePoint 10Windows hardware required and cost of software

is higher for smaller user groups

LotusLive 15Cost per user is higher but no additional hardware

required

Google Apps 20 Low cost and no hardware requirements

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Groupware selection

Table 7 Feature and Periodic cost Parameters

Features and Periodic Costs Points (Total 20) Reason

Microsoft SharePoint 9+8 = 17

Larger email support, no social

computing and significant periodic

costs

LotusLive 7+10 = 17 Fully proprietary

Google Apps 10+10 = 20 Open Source

Table 8 Service, Security and Uptime SLA

Service, security and Uptime Points (Total 10) Reason

Microsoft SharePoint 5+4= 9Excellent service with support but

no SLA Uptime

LotusLive 5+5 = 10Excellent service with free

upgrades

Google Apps 5+2 = 10Mediocre security but 99% SLA

uptime

Table 9 Mobile Support and User Interface (UI)

Mobile Support & Interface Points (Total 10) Reason

Microsoft SharePoint 4+5 = 9UI is familiar but mobile support

requires Microsoft Exchange

LotusLive 5+5 = 10 Conditional support, excellent UI

Google Apps 5+5 = 10 All inclusive

The results of the points distributed among the software variants are summarized in a

tabular form.

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Groupware selection

Table 10 Result Table

ParameterPoints Out

of

Microsoft

SharePointLotusLive Google Apps

Proprietary software 20 20 20 0

Platform and readiness 20 15 20 20

Features and Periodic

costs20 17 17 20

Cost for installation 20 10 15 20

Service, security and

uptime10 9 10 10

Mobile support and User

Interface10 9 10 10

Final Tally 100 80 92 80

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Groupware selection

Conclusion

The comparison of the three viable software solutions has revealed that LotusLive

is an appropriate groupware to be selected by small business for their primary technology

needs. The research paper has successfully inferred a viable alternative to the current

clutter of software solutions mainly catering to the larger corporations. Small business

owners can choose this alternative to suit their needs for a basic groupware solution.

Although the initial cost for LotusLive is significantly higher than all other alternatives

the total cost of ownership for the software is considerably less. The hardware

requirements are minimal and upgrade costs are non-existent. The software is module

based and hence has an option to cut costs as needed. The service provider guarantees a

full time support for the service. The software is technologically advanced and includes

support for social networking technology and conditional mobile support. Small

businesses are readily accepting large initial costs encountered in LotusLive for a lower

TCO (Brown, 2009).

The research paper has successfully compared and selected a groupware software

solution for small business owners. But the research is limited by certain factors. The

research is solely based on the assumption that the Forrester report 2009 is foolproof. The

research paper also assumes that all small business owners considered have the same

requirement from such groupware solutions. This research has given rise to a new

problem. The research paper assumes that other solutions available in the market have not

change since the report. The regular change in information technology brings out newer

alternatives everyday and a varied competition emerges with better features at a better

price. The changes in technology and requirements from this technology are dynamic.

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Groupware selection

The Forrester report 2009 delineates these requirements for the year 2009 only and hence

the research dependent on this information will be obsolete quicker than the primary data.

Further research with more alternative comparisons is necessary to establish these

results. The future research projects should consider carrying out a survey on a sample of

small businesses across United States. The changes in requirements and the data gathered

could help establish a better relationship between the factors of selection for the

groupware selection.

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Groupware selection

References

Bates, J. (1999, January 1). Distributed groupware discussion. Retrieved September

2009, from CaberNet:

http://research.cs.ncl.ac.uk/cabernet/www.laas.research.ec.org/cabernet/sota/

report/node76.html

Brown, D. (2009, July 13). SMB's buy and use software differently. Retrieved October

2009, from techadvisory.org: http://www.techadvisory.org/2009/07/smbs-buy-

and-use-software-differently/

Cornell University. (2009). Integrated Web service. Retrieved October 2009, from

Cornell.edu: http://wpg.cornell.edu/iws2/technology/techinfo.cfm

Department of Technology Services. (2009). Groupware Law. Retrieved October, from

Utah Government: http://dts.utah.gov/egov/webstandards/guide/13-0/13-0.html

Eco Island. (2009). Eco island glossary. Retrieved October 2009, from eco-island.org.uk:

http://www.eco-island.org.uk/glossary.aspx#S

Enterprise Content Management. (2008). What is content management? Retrieved

September 2009, from Contenmanagement.eu.com:

http://www.contentmanager.eu.com/history.htm

Google. (2009). Google Apps. Retrieved September 2009, from Google.com:

http://www.google.com/apps/

IBM corp. (2009). LotusLive. Retrieved September 2009, from lotuslive.com:

https://www.lotuslive.com/en/

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Logistics World. (2009, July 27). Loglink - Logistics world news. Retrieved October

2009, from Logisticsworld.com:

http://www.logisticsworld.com/loglink/newsrel.asp?article=1108

Microsoft. (2009). Microsoft Sharepoint. Retrieved September 2009, from

sharepoint.microsoft.com: http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/Pages/Default.aspx

Search Domino. (2009, September 15). Search Domino definitions. Retrieved October

2009, from Searchdomino.com:

http://searchdomino.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid4_gci212217,00.html

SEC. (n.d.). SEC NASD securities law definitions. Retrieved October 2009, from SEC-

NASD-regulations.com: http://www.sec-nasd-regulations.com/glossary.htm

Sega Mobile. (2009). Sega Mobile support. Retrieved October 2009, from

Segamobile.com: http://www.google.com/url?

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p://www.segamobile.com/support.php%3FPageID

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Appendix A

List of Definition

1. Small business - For SEC purposes, small businesses are defined as domestic

companies with revenues of under $25 million, and not investment companies.

Subsidiaries of larger companies do not qualify as small businesses (SEC).

2. SaaS - Software as a Service is subscription based, and all upgrades are provided

during the term of the subscription. The software is hosted and updated on a central

location, and does not reside on client computers (Department of Technology

Services, 2009).

3. Wiki - A collection of web pages that can be edited by a group (Cornell University,

2009).

4. IM - Instant Messaging is a technology that allows two people to chat electronically

in real time (Sega Mobile, 2009).

5. SLA - Service level agreement - A binding agreement with detailed specifications for

the level of outcome and output performance between a commissioner and service

deliverer or between partners (Eco Island, 2009).

6. TCO – Total Cost of Ownership - All the financial consequences of owning an asset.

In addition to the initial purchase price this would typically also include maintenance,

accommodation charges, opportunity costs, training costs, consumables, internal and

external support, interest on capital, etc (University of Melbourne, 2009).

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Groupware selection

Appendix B

LotusLive Interface

Google Apps Interface

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Groupware selection

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Interface

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