Page 95 -

94 Part One Organizations, Management, and the Networked Enterprise

Companies of all sizes are finding Web-based online meeting tools such as
Cisco WebEx, Microsoft Live Meeting, and Adobe Connect especially helpful for
training and sales presentations. These products enable participants to share
documents and presentations in conjunction with audio conferencing and live
video via Webcam.

Google Apps/Google Sites and Cloud Collaboration Services One of the
most widely used “free” online services for collaboration is Google Apps/Google
Sites. Google Sites allows users to quickly create online group-editable Web
sites. Google Sites is one part of the larger Google Apps suite of tools. Google
Sites users can design and populate Web sites in minutes and can, without any
advanced technical skills, post a variety of files including calendars, text,
spreadsheets, and videos for private, group, or public viewing and editing.
Google Apps work with Google Sites and include the typical desktop produc-
tivity office software tools (word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, contact
management, messaging, and mail). A Premier edition charging businesses $50
per year for each user offers 25 gigabytes of mail storage, a 99.9 percent uptime
guarantee for e-mail, tools to integrate with the firm’s existing infrastructure,
and 24/7 phone support. Table 2.4 describes some of the capabilities of Google
Apps/GoogleSites.
Google Drive is an example of a cloud-based cyberlocker. Cyberlockers are
online file-sharing services that allow users to upload files to secure online
storage sites from which the files can be shared with others. Google Drive
offers 5 free gigabytes of online storage, with additional monthly charges for
more storage up to 16 terabytes. This service works on multiple operating sys-
tems, browsers, and mobile devices. Users can create and edit some types of
documents online, synchronize these files with all of their devices, and share
them with other people. Google Docs is built into Google Drive, enabling users
to work in real-time on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations and receive
notifications when there are comments.
Other cyberlocker services used for collaboration include Dropbox and
Microsoft SkyDrive, with both free and paid services, depending on the amount
of storage space required. Users are able to synchronize their files stored online

TABLE 2.4 GOOGLE APPS/GOOGLE SITES COLLABORATION FEATURES

GOOGLE APPS/GOOGLE SITES CAPABILITY DESCRIPTION
Google Calendar Private and shared calendars; multiple calendars.
Google's free online e-mail service, with mobile access
Google Gmail
capabilities
Google Talk Instant messaging; text, voice, and voice chat
Online word processing, electronic presentation software,
Google Docs
spreadsheets; drawings; online editing, sharing, publishing
Team collaboration sites for sharing of documents,
Google Sites schedules, calendars, searching documents; creation of
group wikis
Offers 5 free gigabytes of online storage for 30 types of
documents as well as images and HD video; users can
create and edit some types of documents online and
Google Drive
synchronize these files with all of their devices; ability to
view, comment, or edit files based on different usage rights
and to keep the files private

MIS_13_Ch_02_Global.indd 94 1/18/2013 10:13:48 AM