Q. What are groupware technologies 7 Explain the area of groupware.
Ans. Groupware is a combination of technologies enabling an organization to create, share, leverage an accumulated knowledge base. Groupware technologies include electronic mail (email), calendaring and scheduling, electronic document management, shared file and print services, as well as some newer multimedia technologion Groupware technologies dramatically reduce the time and effor necessary to distribute ideas, notifications, proposals, and documents throughout workgroup. Communication and the technology that supports it have evolved from telephone and letters to networks, voicemail, faxes, and email. Email has promoted information sharing Shared calendaring and scheduling applications enable corrdination of activities without the burden of personally contacting each participant multiple imes to verify open dates and confirm attendance. Likewise, workflow, imaging, and electronic forms (e-forms) increase the rate at which information can be entered and retrieved by individuals or groups, thus enabling better productivity and sharing of information. New multi-media technologies are emerging for real time collaboration using PCs, cameras, teleconferencing, etc.
Currently, groupware technologies are implemented within. individual organizations. Since each organization selects its own groupware technologies, frequently hardware, software, and Ife formats are not compatible with those of other organizations. Incompatible implementations create barriers to enterprise-wide collaboration, inhibit interoperatility between systems, and increase the cost of system support.
For an enterprise-wide groupware implementation to succeed, the comprised technologies must comply to a set of common protocols and infrastructure standards, allowing them to communicate with one another. Some groupware technologies, such as email, have made. considerable progress in the standardization of protocols across software products. Other gorupware technologies are still maturing and have not yet standardized on protocols.
Since the goal of groupware is to foster collaboration and communication, certain areas require more standards adherence the others. For example, it is more important to establish standards f communication rather collaboration, since the impact is broader Figure illustrates the related groupware areas:
1. Infrastructure: The foundation required to enable communication and collaboration across an organization Infrastructure includes content exchage, authentication services, and directory services.
2. Communication: The process of delivering information statewide. Electronic mail is the primary backbone for communication.
3. Collaboration: The flow of work and business information within an organization or ad hoc workgroup. Automated collaborative applications include calendaring and scheduling, file and print services, and electronic document management.
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