eweekchat

A4. The collaboration tools marketspace is trending toward the cloud, requiring network connection. Some productivity tools can work offline if information can be saved locally, but offline remote collaboration would need to be asynchronous. #eWEEKchat

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A4: Google suite of apps does a great job with this. Work on the plane and sync when back online. That assumes of course that you get to go on a plane and still social distance.

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A4: Absolutely, if they are enabled for that. @Wrike 's mobile app has an offline mode that will sync automatically when a user is back online. This is critical when Wi-Fi slows or goes down, and there is a lot of pressure on the networks now. #eWEEKchat

A4: If you are using a tool in offline mode, make sure changes/edits are tracked when back online so everyone is in sync on the latest version. Now that we're all remote, the last thing you need is version control issues. #eWEEKchat

A4: Depending on how broadly we define this yes. For example, even though we are a SaaS company we also deliver On Premise deployments to select clients.

A4 you could extrapolate cloud sync and share similar to how OneDrive functions to other tools, and cache exchanges for syncing. I agree with @thomaserandall as more and more moves to cloud, you will need a connection.

A4: I think the massive irony here is that being offline or connectivity being down, can provide the biggest opportunity for deep work. Using MS Teams in that way can mean your most productive time is when you are offline

A4. Sure, if context is asynchronous, which in the case of humans, it usually is. But turn and run if you can't sync with integrity.

A4: but this idea of 'offline' to me is more about - you've done some creating/editing in your own space and then it just links back in once you reconnect - not sure how important that distinction is for these tools.

A4: The problem with synchronizing changes in most of these tools are real. The vast majority of collaboration tools don't do a good job when there's a conflict between offline edits and live edits.

@editingwhizA4: although as we move towards the future localize AI agents may be there to "converse with", I imagine a day where there is enough context that your digital assistant can answer questions on the fly "offline".

@thomaserandall I think the issue of synchronous vs asynchronous starts to become one of the critical factors here in definition - if we mean collaboration tools require simultaneity then by definition you can't really use them offline

A4 Not sure this is relevant - offline is old school and as @kurt points out, the sync problem is real...

@sean_broderick Agree. One of the challenges of remote work is that it can be difficult to signal that you're not available to be interrupted, so they happen all day long. In an office, a pair of headphones usually does the trick. Managing interruptions is really important.

A4. Ultimately, this depends on your end user requirements. If you don't need to work synchronously (e.g. IM or simultaneous editing), then there is no oxymoron if collaboration is asynchronous.

A4 agree with @sethaelliott on this one. To me, collaboration tools really do mean online, all the time...

@sethaelliott Absolutely agree.

A4: @sethaelliott @danlahl - agreed. It's certainly possible to do work offline, but the collaboration aspect just won't be there. I personally am more likely to use a network outage as a coffee break.

A4: Collaboration can absolutely be offline, as long as you and your collaborators agree on it. We can all take a pointer from teams that work across broad timezones. Often they key is the etiquette around rate of response and mode to keep everyone moving along.

#itwasme

it's time for digital whiteboards to finally take off!

A3: we're looking at something like Productboard (if we place that in the collaboration space)

@usmcjost Miro for the win!

@sethaelliott I love Miro.

A3: Kapost for managing content. We are progressing to MS Teams & Sharepoint as the central hub for chat, video, file storage

A# in the vein of Digital Whiteboards, also the ability to co-author is now a must, companies embracing legacy security posture or "Just not there yet" must catch up.

We've been poking around at Threads as a Slack alternative, but it hasn't really taken off internally yet.

A3. Swit has been on my radar for a year. Brings all collaboration (communication, project management, etc.) together in one place. Organizations that rationalize collaboration tools around required capabilities see better e.user satisfaction & money saved on licenses #eWEEKchat

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DevOps tools for more operational work, providing greater viability, I think Monday.com does a great job advertising this.

A3: I know we already talked about this, but Zoom has become essential to us. Gone (for now) are the days of desk drive-bys and water cooler conversations. The culture of a company depends on those interactions. #eWEEKchat

A3: Are any of you seeing anything that has made you say 'whooa' in this area recently?

A3: Converged tools such as Slack, MS teams, etc where you can interface with multiple data sources and people at once are a must.

A3: We also use employee engagement tools like @bonusly. It's a great way for employees to show their appreciation to others, especially now that we're distributed. #eWEEKchat

A3: an increase in special interest groups on Slack has increased connection for mindfulness practices, shared interest in hobbies and keeping employees more connected from home.

A3: 'The best tool is the one you use' is a huge principal for us whether that is collaboration software, CRM etc. Adoption over the bells and whistles always

@usmcjost this is there new positioning this idea of a work operating system - smart marketing (which is expected from them)

@usmcjost A3: Watching IT use digital tools to improve collaboration is a very necessary case study in how collaboration tools are going to evolve. It's not just stuffing more video into a connection.

A3. Tools focused on enhanced analytics have a business edge (e.g. Microsoft’s offerings). By gathering and analyzing data on how end users best utilize these tools, we can redesign our collaboration working environments to improve productivity. #eWEEKchat

A3 I find the problem with most collab tools are they are purely horizontal and do not have application affinity to every user. Great for comms and office docs, but not solving the problem of doing my job in context...

@plburris Agree but IT users are the worst when looking at adoption capabilities, I always let my kids test out solutions, if they can do it we have a chance.

A3: At RingCentral use our own Message, Video and Phone capabilities all day long. The place where we are seeing the biggest change internally behavior is in co-creation tools in GSuite. Very complimentary to real time communications.

A3 Naturally, SAP as an apps company is looking at ways to bring applications in context for each employee/user into the collaboration mix...

A3: of course, i assume we all use our own products already :)

@danlahl tools like workgrid and Citrix microapps are starting to push this forward as well.

@danlahl A3. That's it! Collaboration tools for IT typically are much better because the builders of those tools -- IT pros -- understand the context in which they'll be used. Collaboration is really subtle, very context-dependent. My clients abandon these tools all the time.

a3 @usmcjost agree, data and processes must be brought, in context, into each users individual job function to address the next level of collaboration

a3 @plburris agree with you Peter, abandoning tools that have no context for each user have no use. personally or professionally!

A3 @sethaelliott Narutally :-)

What are Banks / FIs / Insurance companies which are highly regulated doing at a time like this - given security / client confidentiality considerations?

@anujaagarwal We've seen banks and insurance companies isolating infrastructure in private networks, relying on gateways, authenticated jump boxes, etc. to provide access and a security layer.

@mtjmpr Thanks... I'm guessing a lot of the organizations were just not prepared for this mass 'WFH' phenomenon

@anujaagarwal Definitely, and hopefully companies make it through and take this as a wake up call. The ability to work from home/elsewhere should be viewed as a necessity, not a perk or privilege.