Working together in virtual facilities

Have you ever tried working on a project with someone on another campus, in another state or country? You probably spend hours on the phone, trying to describe what you're looking at or thinking about. If you're lucky, you might be able to send files through e-mail. Take heart - there is a better way.

Collaborative workspaces are secure, virtual "rooms" designed to enhance the exchange of information among a group of workers (also known as a team). Searching the market has led to the identification of dozens of companies with a variety of products (see online Buyer's Guide) that address the opportunity to one degree or another.

We invited eight and completed testing on three product suites that offer a full range of real time and messaging functionality for virtual teams: Groove Networks' Groove Client 2.5 and Enterprise Management server; iCohere's Workgroup Suite 3.1; and Documentum's  eRoom 6.0. Some companies declined to participate in the review because their products were near the end of a product cycle and the upcoming generation of solutions is significantly different than current commercial offerings. The products we tested had significant differences in how they addressed challenges facing members of a virtual workgroup, and how they help users navigate through the spaces. While all the tested products offered a range of functionality, we gave Documentum's eRoom a Blue Ribbon Award. We found the product's use of icons and collapsible navigation easy to use, feature-rich and very responsive. From an administrative view, we liked how the platform does not require a separate messaging server.

Setting up the systems

Documentum's eRoom was by far the easiest to install. The only prerequisite is a fully patched Windows 2000 (or newer) Server. The only mark against the system as we tested it is that the Real Time Server, which supports the collaborative meeting environment, must be installed on a separate Windows 2000 server.

Groove Network's Groove Enterprise Server was almost as easy to install. But in addition to installing on a Windows 2000 Server, you need to install Microsoft  SQLserver 2000. As long as the SQL server permissions are set up correctly, Groove Enterprise Server will install with minimum effort. Our only hitch was understanding some of the options presented, most notably the wording of Certificate Authority settings.

While certainly not difficult, the iCohere's Workgroup Suite install required the most preparation. In addition to installing Windows 2000 Server and SQLserver 2000, you need to install MacroMedia's  ColdFusion MX, Microsoft Outlook 2000 (or newer), and enable Terminal Services and FTP access. ICohere's support staff use FTP to upload the installation files, and then connect to your server using Windows Terminal Services. The installation is then completed for you. The biggest drawback of this configuration is that it requires membership in a domain that has Exchange services available for the sole purpose of sending e-mail. The domain membership is required to launch Outlook without a password challenge.