Enterprise collaboration is increasingly recognized as a key component of the quality management. Organizations that are willing to invest in innovative cloud-based collaborative solutions can achieve breakthrough levels of performance, which cannot be arrived at with the help of traditional efficiency measures (Jamsa, 2012). This paper aims to discuss key considerations for evaluating enterprise cloud-based collaboration solutions.
Discussion
Key Considerations
Cloud-based collaboration services refer to “services through which interactive information (e.g., audio-visual content, voice, SMS, text, etc.) is interchanged or exchanged between two or more participating users” (Hossain & Ghulam, 2014, p. 2). The implementation of cloud-based resources for collaboration requires careful consideration of their security. When it comes to transactions and negotiations, the protection of information is of paramount importance. Therefore, organizations that introduce cloud-based collaboration solutions into their business processes should update their risk models and address the following areas of concern: “identity management, governance, compliance, software isolation, and security responses” (Ali, Warren, & Mathiassen, 2017, p. 639).
When taking a cloud-based approach to collaboration, a company has to consider whether new solutions can integrate with its existing applications and IT resources. It is also imperative to deliberate on the degree of control over organization’s information systems provided by a solution (Erwin, n.d.). In addition to being safe and functional, collaboration software should not put a strain on an organization’s budget. Also, it is necessary to take into account training that will be needed to change operating procedures. Other important considerations are the ease of deployment and maintenance, accessibility, storage space, standardization, and customization of workflows.
Comparison
Wrike is a highly-acclaimed cloud-based collaboration software that fits nicely into a framework of business model innovation. The solution is characterized by a high investment-to-return ratio, which is critical for organizations operating on a restricted budget. The vendor offers a free trial plan and charges only $9.8 user/monthly for its standard package (Wrike, 2017). The software offers extremely high levels of security; therefore, it has won the Best Project Management Software award in 2016 (Finances Online, 2016). The cloud-based solution also scores highly in terms of integration because it is capable of working with Dropbox, Google Drive, Jive Software, Microsoft Outlook, Zapier, Salesforce, and other business applications, which is essential for effective data migration. Wrike offers its users substantial storage capacities, extended security controls, folder permissions, and customizable workflows. It is one of the best collaboration solutions that meets all quality criteria listed in the previous section of the paper.
Asana is a cloud-hosted software that facilitates collaboration. Just like Wrike, the software allows managing corporate communication and streamlining workflows without using third-party apps (Finances Online, n.d.). The solution hosts user data in SSAE 16 data centers, thereby reducing exposure to external threats (Asana, n.d.). Asana is a cheaper solution than Wrike because its premium package costs only $ 9.99 user/month (Finances Online, n.d.). Furthermore, the list of Asana’s partnership is longer than that of its direct competitor and includes MailChimp, WordPress, Hipchat, Jotana, Slack, Github, and Phabricator among others. The vendor also provides free training. However, unlike Wrike, the solution does not offer Android support, which is a major drawback. Nonetheless, Asana meets all quality criteria outlined above, which makes it the best cloud-based collaboration solution for business.
Conclusion
The paper discussed key elements of cloud-based collaborative solutions that have to be considered by organizations willing to create an effective business environment. It has been argued that Asana is a solution that can become a major asset for a forward-looking company.
References
Ali, A., Warren, D., & Mathiassen, L. (2017). Cloud-based business services innovation: A risk management model. International Journal of Information Management, 37(1), 639-649.
Asana. (n.d.). Security at Asana. Web.
Erwin, J. (n.d.). What are the benefits of a cloud-based collaboration tool? Web.
Finances Online. (2016). The comparison of 15 leading collaboration software systems. Web.
Finances Online. (n.d.). Asana review. Web.
Hossain, S., & Ghulam, M. (2014). Cloud-based collaborative media service framework for healthcare. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 12(1), 1-19.
Jamsa, J. (2012). Cloud computing. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Wrike. (2017). Efficient project collaboration software. Web.