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Chapter 2 Global E-business and Collaboration 95

with their local PCs and many other kinds of devices, with options for making
the files private or public and sharing them with designated contacts. Microsoft
SkyDrive offers 7 gigabytes of free online storage for Office documents and
other files and works with Microsoft’s Web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
and OneNote called Office Web Apps. Dropbox (offering 2 gigabytes of free
storage) itself does not include tools for document creation and editing.
Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft SharePoint is a browser-based collaboration
and document management platform, combined with a powerful search engine
that is installed on corporate servers. SharePoint has a Web-based interface and
close integration with everyday tools such as Microsoft Office desktop software
products. SharePoint software makes it possible for employees to share their doc-
uments and collaborate on projects using Office documents as the foundation.
SharePoint can be used to host internal Web sites that organize and store
information in one central workspace to enable teams to coordinate work activ-
ities, collaborate on and publish documents, maintain task lists, implement
workflows, and share information via wikis and blogs. Users are able to control
versions of documents and document security. Because SharePoint stores and
organizes information in one place, users can find relevant information quickly
and efficiently while working together closely on tasks, projects, and docu-
ments. Enterprise search tools help locate people, expertise, and content. As
noted in the chapter-opening case, SharePoint has recently added social tools.
ICA is a large Mexican construction company specializing in infrastructure
projects, with operations in North, South, and Central America and Europe.
The company implemented Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to organize the
500,000 documents used by its 3,000 employees daily. ICA employees can now
immediately locate the documents and internal expertise they need to finish
projects on time and within budget. Project documentation is far more secure,
and ICA has created online communities where it can capture the knowledge of
internal experts (Microsoft, 2011).
Lotus Notes Lotus Notes was an early example of groupware, a collaborative
software system with capabilities for sharing calendars, collective writing and
editing, shared database access, and electronic meetings, with each participant
able to see and display information from others and other activities. Notes soft-
ware installed on desktop or laptop computers obtains applications stored on an
IBM Lotus Domino server. Lotus Notes is now Web-enabled with a scripting and
application development environment so that users can build custom applica-
tions to suit their unique needs.
Notes software installed on the user’s client computer allows the machine
to be used as a platform for e-mail, instant messaging (working with Lotus
Sametime), Web browsing, and calendar/resource reservation work, as well as
for interacting with collaborative applications. Today, Notes also has capabili-
ties for blogs, microblogs, wikis, RSS aggregators, help desk systems, voice and
videoconferencing, and online meetings.
Large firms adopt IBM Lotus Notes because Notes promises high levels of
security and reliability, and the ability to retain control over sensitive corporate
information. For example, the Magnum AS Group, which specializes in whole-
sale and retail sales of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies throughout the
Baltic States, uses Lotus Notes to manage more than 500,000 documents and
meet strict regulatory requirements. The software provides a central document
repository with full version control for all company documentation, which
includes written documents, spreadsheets, images, PDF files, and e-mails.
Users are able to find the latest version of a document with a single search.
Documents can only be edited by authorized users, enhancing security and

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