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TECH NEWS
Groove Hits the Enterprise
 Collaboration guru Ray Ozzie takes Groove P2P from "cool" to "corporate" by adding integration with Microsoft Office and Outlook, stronger administration features, and increased security.
Groove Networks has shipped Groove 2.0, a major upgrade to its decentralized collaboration platform, often called "peer-to-peer" (P2P). The new version offers enhancements and new features to both client and server software, including integration with Microsoft Office applications, new project and meeting management toolsets, and, most significantly for large corporate customers, the introduction of customer-hosted management and system integration capabilities.
Groove Enterprise Management Server 2.0 lets administrators leverage existing policies and network assets to centrally manage Groove deployments:
- Administrators can deploy and manage Groove user identities via integration with existing LDAP or Active Directory services.
- Groove clients automatically authenticate others within and across network domains.
- Administrators can run reports to monitor aggregate Groove usage within and across the enterprise.
Groove Enterprise Integration Server 2.0 lets customers who want to integrate Groove with existing business systems securely extend centralized systems, data, and functions to authorized users across company boundaries. Using the Enterprise Integration Server, developers can create server-based programs known as "bots." Bots are non-human peers users can "invite" into a Groove shared space to provide members with task-specific support. For example, a Groove bot could extend the reach of an enterprise resource planning system by securely delivering exception notifications to company suppliers when inventories become depleted. The Enterprise Integration Server includes an administrator console for securely managing and configuring bots, a framework for bot communication with external systems, and a development kit that will be available later in 2002.
"Today's global enterprises operate in a far more decentralized manner than ever before," says Ray Ozzie, Groove Networks CEO. "If the previous decade was devoted to re-engineering the corporation to enhance internal business processes, this next decade will be defined by the re-engineering of business processes that span company boundaries. The ability to reduce the cost of coordination and increase the return on connection of business processes among employees, customers, partners, and suppliers is becoming a critical success factor in all industries. Groove version 2.0 meets the needs of today's businesses to bring the right groups of people together at the 'edges of their networks,' yet still provides the centralized management and control that IT organizations require in order to manage costs and security risks."
Groove Workspace 2.0 includes an enhanced Files tool that lets users edit Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations in real time; a new Project Management toolset for managing projects and meetings; a new Document Review tool for facilitating multi-member reviews of documents; and a new Forms tool for creating custom tools to suit specific tasks or processes. The client software also integrates with Microsoft Outlook, letting users easily organize multiple-person e-mail discussion threads to give them context and continuity.
This last enhancement is where Groove is strong, according to Forrester Research analysts Bruce D. Temkin and Navi Radjou. "Groove's latest release hits a sweet spot: Microsoft Office users who want to dynamically share documents. The software's enterprise management enhancements make this collaboration platform more appealing for large-scale corporate deployment."
Price and availability
Groove Workspace Standard Edition 2.0 is US$49 per user. Groove Workspace Professional Edition 2.0 is $99 per user. Groove Enterprise Relay Server is $9,995; Groove Enterprise Management Server is $19,995; and Groove Enterprise Integration Server is $9,995.
 Christa C. Ayer is senior managing editor at Advisor Media. She manages Advisor's editorial department, which produces magazines, journals, Web sites, and e-newsletters. She also helps plan Advisor Live conferences. Christa joined Advisor Media in 1996 after graduating with honors from UC Berkeley with a degree in mass communications.
Keyword Tags: Active Directory, Administration, Business Software, Business Solution, Business Technology, Collaboration, Communications, Document Management, E-Business Management, Groove, Groove Enterprise Integration Server, Groove Enterprise Management Server, Groove Enterprise Relay Server, Groove Networks, Groove Workspace, Groupware, Integration, Knowledge Management, LDAP, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Peer-to-Peer, Project Management, Security, Tech: Communication, Workflow
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ARTICLE INFO
Web Edition: 2002.05.03, Doc #09646
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