In my previous post, we reviewed five possible Web 2.0 technologies that can be implemented in an Enterprise context (aka Enterprise 2.0). Today, i would like to offer a more practical approach and review specific applications that if implemented correctly, can turn your Enterprise 2.0 vision into a reality.
All the applications mentioned below have some common characteristics:
So here they are - the top five Web 2.0 applications for the Enterprise:
Salesforce.com: Salesforce, a CRM (Customer Relationships Management) web based service, pioneered the SAAS domain. It features a super-intuitive web interface as well as a streamlined set of processes that helps you make the most of your Contacts, Accounts, Leads and Opportunities, and increase your sales productivity. Moreover, Salesforce.com runs Apex, a development platform that allows the build of custom hosted business applications that you can integrate into Salesforce.com (for example: an Human Resource Management Information System) and AppExchange, a marketplace for applications that complement Salesforce.com based functionality (most of them are free). In two words: If you are looking for a CRM solution - i suggest that you evaluate Salesforce.com.
Zoho: After trying them all, i am pretty much convinced that Zoho is currently the most advanced Office 2.0 suite in the market. What i like the most about Zoho, is that although it runs on the web, its set of features is rich, and would satisfy even the most enthusiastic MS Office user. In my opinion, Zoho Writer (the word processor) and Zoho sheets (the Excel like spreadsheet) are excellent choices for organizations that would like to cut their MS Office expenses (they are 100% free). I also like Zoho Creator, a nifty application that allows you to create database applications in minutes. If you don’t like to work on your office productivity suite on the web, you’ll enjoy Zoho Desktopize, a widget that allows you to work in selected Zoho applications in a desktop environment.
BaseCamp: Basecamp, made by 37Signals, is a hosted project collaboration and management solutions that allows for easy interaction with employees and client during the project lifecycle. In my point of view, BaseCamp still lacks in presentation quality (Gantt charts etc’), but still it makes an affordable project collaboration tool you can use in a small and medium business.
Wordpress: I am almost convinced that anyone who’s running a blog heard about Wordpress, the leading blogging platform based on MySQL. The good news, is that also enterprises can leverage Wordpress in order to foster collaboration with business partners and increase product footprint. Wordpress MU allows companies to build a cost effective multi-user blogging platform for their employees.
Google Apps: Last but definitely not least is Google Apps. This relatively young office productivity suite includes GMail (with Chat and calendar), Google Docs and Spreadsheets, as well as personalized live support. The cost is also appealing - 50$ per user/year. The fundamental issue with Google Apps, is that although GMail is an excellent email client, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, still significantly lag behind MS Office and Zoho as far as functionality and usability is concerned.
Your comments are more than welcome. So, what are YOUR top five Web 2.0 applications for the Enterprise ?.
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January 11th, 2008 00:52 GMT
Thanks for the handy post, where would we be without wordpress! Can’t say that i use the others but wordpress is my friend, lol i didn’t even know that wordpress was a Web 2.0 application until today. Just goes to show how much I know
November 12th, 2007 13:57 GMT
Hi, great post and interesting comments. I agree that Basecamp is weak in turms of graphics. Gantt charts are very important for project management. That’s why I use Wrike http://www.wrike.com/ for my projects. When I compared the pricing, I saw that Wrike is even more affordable than Basecamp. I love getting more for less.
November 9th, 2007 18:43 GMT
Cool. We use basecamp, google apps (for domain), wordpress and filemaker pro (forms linked via apple-mail to a custom python harvesting app to filemaker and back to the web again… ) - the task for us is stringing everything together with some custom python apps… and area where true convergence will present the winning combo…
btw - we are considering switching over to active collab vs. basecamp, as we can also run this from our server..
http://www.sustain.ca
September 6th, 2007 15:03 GMT
Good Article !
FYI: The link of the Basecamp website is wrong.
The correct link is http://www.basecamphq.com
July 5th, 2007 02:27 GMT
Great article, another webapp you should have a look at is IcebergOnDemand.com its more powerful than the zohocreator and theres absolutely no scripting (drag and drop all the way)
June 23rd, 2007 10:06 GMT
I am an ardent BaseCamp fan. But lately Google Tools are stealing some of it’s thunder.
June 23rd, 2007 00:20 GMT
June 22nd, 2007 20:22 GMT
June 22nd, 2007 16:51 GMT