With apologies to Paul Newman, “[W]hat we have here is a failure to communicate” is an aphorism that could be heard in the boardrooms of many companies.  This is, in part, because few companies have deployed knowledge sharing and collaboration tools that allow co-workers to communicate effectively.

One model for such platforms is the Collaborative Business Environment (CBE).  A CBE is a workspace designed for the knowledge worker that supersedes the traditional desktop metaphor by providing one single work environment, Friction-Free Knowledge Sharing that eliminates extra steps, and Embedded Community through presence awareness and integrated communication tools such as instant messaging.

One company that offers a viable solution for companies in need of a Collaborative Business Environment is Gordano, which offers the Gordano Messaging Suite (GMS), an e-mail and instant messaging server.  Companies can integrate e-mail and IM functionality into a variety of external systems through open APIs and mashup technologies.  Perhaps the best example of this is the Microsoft SharePoint integration that the company introduced in version 16 of the Gordano Messaging Suite; it enables full integration of address books, calendars, and other PIM data with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, allowing for user accounts to synchronize GMS data within the SharePoint interface.

Earlier versions of the platform already supported the ability to integrate instant messaging with Microsoft Office via Gordano’s Collaboration Sever.  Additional integration allows GMS as share calendars, contacts, notes, folders, and address books Office.  Access is also possible through other clients including Apple iCal, Mozilla Calendar, and GMS WebMail.

While Gordano handles typical tasks such as e-mail and IM very well, what’s really interesting is the Gizmos feature, essentially JavaScript mashups that can be configured to extend functionality through the creation of custom buttons and actions.

While Gordano might not be right for all organizations, their tools are worthy of consideration, especially by existing Microsoft customers that would like to embed collaboration tools on the road towards building a Collaborative Business Environment.

Cody Burke is a senior analyst at Basex.   Matt Siper is an analyst at Basex.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 9:57 am and is filed under Collaboration, Collaborative Business Environments, Desktop Productivity, In the Briefing Room. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.