Software Platforms Examples
This list is divided into proprietary or free software, and open source software, with several comparison tables of different product and vendor characteristics. It also includes a section of project collaboration software, which is a standard feature in collaboration platforms.
- 2Comparison of notable software
- 3Open source software
- 4Project collaboration software
ERP System Examples for ERP Software Platforms. Enterprise Resource Planning. Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP, systems are made up of tools intended to facilitate the management of all information that impacts a company’s business decisions. Depending on your company’s niche, you’ll benefit from different functionality available in an ERP. Resolver's Vendor Risk Management Software automates and standardizes the assessment of hundreds of vendors traditionally captured by a large volume of inconsistent spreadsheets, emails and review requests in one consolidated platform alongside Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audit, Incident Management and IT Risk.
Collaborative software[edit]
| Software | Description |
|---|---|
| Aconex | Online document management, web collaboration and project management software for construction, engineering and facility management. |
| Adobe Acrobat | Adobe Acrobat gives synchronous and asynchronous review of PDFs. |
| Adobe LiveCycle | SOA Java EE server software product used to build applications that automate a broad range of business processes for enterprises and government agencies. |
| Airtable | Airtable is a collaborative project management tool for storing project structure and content. It is a spreadsheet-database hybrid, combining the storage features of a database with UI and flexibility of a spreadsheet. |
| Alfresco | free/libre enterprise content management system for Microsoft Windows and Unix-like operating systems. |
| Altova MetaTeam | collaborative decision-making, team performance management and project management software. |
| Asana | web and mobile application designed to improve the way teams communicate and collaborate. |
| Assembla | a set of cloud-based task and code management tools for software developers. |
| Atlassian Confluence | web-based team and content collaboration software |
| Authorea | online collaborative writing tool for researchers |
| Axigen | messaging and collaborating software based on proprietary architectures |
| Basecamp | web-based project collaboration and management |
| Box.net | web-based collaboration and content management for enterprises |
| BSCW | Basic Support for Collaborative Work |
| cineSync | real-time synchronised video review software |
| Circuit (software) | enterprise-grade collaboration with video, voice, screen sharing, messaging and filesharing |
| Clarizen | |
| ClearMeeting | web conferencing service |
| Coda | cloud-based collaborative document editor with word-processing, spreadsheets, and database functionality |
| Coggle | cloud-based collaborative mind-mapping software |
| Collaber | Eclipse-based client–server platform |
| Collabtive | web-based project management software for distributed teams |
| ConceptDraw Office | collaborative software suite composed of mind mapping, project management and business diagramming tools |
| Concerto Project Management | collaborative, web-based Project Management solution[buzzword] with integrated mobile functionality designed to support and maintain the project environment |
| Concursive | web-based and mobile tools for socially enabled project management, customer support and business directories |
| CoMotion | multi-tiered client–server collaborative workspace system |
| CustomerVision BizWiki | wiki application, geared to medium- and large-sized businesses, that existed from around 2006 to 2008 |
| Debategraph | web-based, collaborative idea visualization and deliberation |
| Discourse | open-source forum software built using modern technology |
| Drupal | free and open-source content management framework written in PHP |
| e | collaborative editor which works as a live revision control system; uses an edit-and-commit style of collaboration |
| Easy Projects | project management platform, available as both cloud-based SaaS and on-premises system. |
| Eclipse | suite of software applications, intended for use by aerospace project and mission teams in managing their CM/QA/PA/PM activities |
| EditGrid | online spreadsheet that allows collaborative editing |
| Edraw Max | cross-platform collaborative software composed of flowchart, organizational chart, mind map, project management and infographics |
| EGroupware | free open source groupware software intended for businesses from small to enterprises |
| Elluminate | virtual classroom and online collaboration environment for online teaching and training |
| collaborative software provided via browser as on-premises or hosted | |
| EZOfficeinventory | Cloud-based asset tracking software used in tracking physical and technological assets |
| Fabasoft Folio Cloud | cloud DMS for organisations with hybrid cloud and data residency option |
| FirstClass | client/server groupware |
| Freedcamp | free project management and collaboration tool |
| Fuze | web-based, desktop, mobile client server software for conducting meetings (voice, video, screen sharing, file sharing), free and paid |
| GForge Advanced Server | distributed software development as a web-based platform |
| GoDrive | document collaboration and synchronization across Windows, Mac and mobile applications |
| Gliffy | web-based, collaborative diagramming service that works with most operating systems and browsers |
| Glip | web-based, collaborative communication app and service that works with most operating systems and browsers |
| Google Apps | web-based real-time collaboration: document, spreadsheet, presentation editing and more |
| Google Drive | file storage and synchronization service for cloud storage, file sharing and collaborative editing |
| GrexIt | email-based collaboration tool for Google Apps |
| Group-Office groupware and CRM | open source web-based groupware and CRM application |
| Groupiful | web-based project management for teams with task management, file sharing, event scheduling, etc... |
| GroveSite | web-based collaboration suite with document sharing, file libraries, discussion threads |
| Hall.com | web-based collaboration, group chat, video chat, file sharing, one-on-one chat and more |
| HighQ Collaborate | secure document exchange, enterprise social collaboration, client extranets and knowledge portals for organisations |
| HipChat Data Center | chat software from Atlassian |
| Huddle | secure web-based content management and content collaboration platform for enterprises and governments |
| Hyperoffice | web-based online collaboration, messaging and project management; for small to medium-sized firms |
| IBM Lotus Connections | Suite |
| IBM Lotus Domino | business collaboration software for hosting, messaging and workflow, with information security; server component of the Notes/Domino |
| IBM Lotus Mashups | web application for business mashups editing |
| IBM Lotus Notes | collaborative client-server software platform; client component of the Notes/Domino |
| IBM Lotus Quickr | replaces IBM Lotus QuickPlace; runs on Domino or WebSphere servers |
| IBM Lotus Sametime | collaboration and real-time communication platform for enterprises; audio, video |
| IBM Workplace-branded products | |
| IceWarp Mail Server | Business email, messaging and collaboration server. Cloud and On-Premises. |
| InLoox | collaboration software that offers web-based and on-premises solutions[buzzword], supports task management, document management, and workflow |
| Intraboom | web-based collaboration and communication software |
| Jive | web-based suite integrating forums, blogs, wiki, chat, VOIP |
| JotSpot | wiki supports calendars, spreadsheets, file repositories, photo galleries; made for ease of use |
| Kahootz | online cloud collaboration software, specialising in public sector and enterprise scalable solutions[buzzword] |
| Knowledge Plaza | web-based social knowledge management tool |
| Kolab | security-focused open source groupware collaboration solution[buzzword] with web client, CalDAV and ActiveSync and its own native client |
| Kune | free/open-source distributed social network focused on collaboration rather than just on communication |
| LibreOffice Online | online edition of LibreOffice, a free and open-source office suite |
| Liferay | portal, web content management and social collaboration platform |
| LiquidPlanner | wiki-like pages, document sharing, Twitter-like commenting |
| LogicalDOC | on-line and on-premises document management system with collaboration and workflow features |
| LucidChart | collaborative diagramming and website/software prototyping, supports real-time collaboration, built on web standards |
| MeisterTask | web based collaborative task management application |
| Microsoft Exchange Server | |
| Microsoft Outlook | |
| Microsoft Live Meeting | |
| Microsoft Lync Server | |
| Microsoft Office Live Communications Server | |
| Microsoft Office | desktop tools for collaboration |
| Microsoft Project Server | |
| Microsoft SharePoint Foundation | |
| Microsoft SharePoint Server | |
| Microsoft SharePoint Workspace | desktop collaboration application |
| Microsoft Team Foundation Server | developer and Agile tools collaboration platform |
| Microsoft Teams | platform that combines workplace chat, meetings, notes, and attachments |
| Microsoft Windows Live | messenger, office web apps, skydrive, mail |
| Mikogo | desktop sharing software application for web conferencing, online meetings and web collaboration |
| Mindjet | mindmapping software, collaborative project management, social task management, cloud-based file sharing |
| MindMeister | collaborative mindmapping software |
| Mixedink | combines collaborative editing with voting |
| MovableType | |
| Nefsis | multi-party online collaboration and video conferencing software for businesses |
| NewsGator | |
| Novell GroupWise | |
| Nuclino | Cloud-based team collaboration software which allows teams to collaborate and share information in real-time. |
| Oracle Beehive | combines email, team collaboration, and conferencing in one collaboration platform |
| Oracle WebCenter | Group Spaces |
| omNovia Technologies | online meeting platform for collaborative meetings, e-learning, interactive training sessions |
| OpenProject | open source project collaboration suite |
| PabloDraw | collaborative text and ANSI/ASCII art editing tool on Windows |
| PBworks | commercial real-time collaborative editing (RTCE) system |
| Pidoco | cloud-based collaboration tool to create, share, test website and mobile app UI prototypes |
| Pivotal Tracker | screen sharing capabilities to increase collaboration in meetings |
| PlayCanvas | real-time collaborative tools for creating 3D interactive experiences using WebGL in form of 3D tool and IDE for code editing |
| Podio | web-based collaborative platform with workspaces, tasks per community members and app market |
| Pristine | video collaboration software for smart mobile devices, and smartglasses |
| Project.net | Open Source Project Management software with document, task, and project sharing and collaboration |
| Projectplace | online collaboration tool providing Project management, Document collaboration & Communication in one tool |
| ProjectManager.com | online project management software with collaboration features for teams |
| ProjectWise | suite of project information management and collaboration software and services from Bentley Systems designed for the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) industries and infrastructure owner-operators |
| ProtoShare | web-based collaborative prototyping and review tool for interactive projects |
| Pyrus | cloud-based communication tool, combines team collaboration, invoice processing, approval and workflow automation |
| Qontext | communicating, sharing, and collaborating from inside common business applications like netsuite, sugarcrm, Salesforce.com |
| RelateIQ | web-based relationship intelligence platform that enables teams to track, share, and analyze shared relationships |
| Retroshare | open-source cross-platform, friend-2-friend and secure decentralised communication platform |
| Samepage | web-based collaboration software |
| SAP NetWeaver Portal | |
| Saros | collaborative text editing for Distributed Party Programming |
| Sheetgo | Cloud-based platform to automate and share the entire company workflows from an online spreadsheet. |
| Skillhive | online collaboration platform for collaboration and sharing knowledge across and beyond teams and other organizational boundaries |
| Slack | cloud-based team collaboration tool using a chat format with multiple channels |
| Smart Meeting Pro | collaborative meeting software |
| Smart Bridgit | data conferencing software |
| Smartsheet | Web-based workflow, collaboration management |
| Socialtext | suite of web-based social software applications |
| SpringCM | |
| Stride | Collaboration software from Atlassian, successor to the cloud-based HipChat |
| SubEthaEdit | collaborative text editing on Mac OS X |
| SuccessFactors | |
| Synovel Collabsuite | full messaging software for organizations |
| Teamwork.com | task management, project management, issue tracking, groupware |
| Telligent | enterprise community and collaboration platform with blogs, wikis, more enterprise 2.0 abilities |
| Tibco | |
| Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware | |
| TitanFile | web-based enterprise-level secure file sharing with a focus on people and interests |
| tmsEKP | suite of collaboration software |
| Tonido Workspace | cross-platform collaborative software, synchronizes workspaces, allows web-based guest access |
| TrackerSuite.Net | Web-based, modular software business suite |
| Traction TeamPage | enterprise social software |
| Trello | free web-based project management application |
| TrueConf | on-premise platform for video conferencing and collaboration |
| Tuleap | application lifecycle management, project management with integrated risk reporting system |
| Twproject | cross-platform software, integrates project management, issue tracking, groupware |
| TWiki | |
| Vignette | content management system |
| VSee | video conferencing tool with screen share, annotation and file sending capabilities |
| WebEx | web-based collaboration tools |
| Wiggio | web-based, group collaboration software |
| Wire (software) | secure collaboration platform featuring messenger, voice calls, video conferences, file-sharing, and guest rooms –all protected by end-to-end-encryption |
| Workamajig | web-based, collaboration software for project management |
| Workplace by Facebook | Enterprise version of Facebook. Synchronous and asynchronous collaboration and communication |
| Workspot | web service providing Linux desktops, which can be shared securely via browser |
| Wrike | interactive web-based project management software and tools for remote collaboration |
| Writeboard | collaborative text editor |
| Xaitporter | web-based document collaboration software with integrated workflow, for enterprise and SMEs |
| XWiki | professional wiki that has powerful extensibility features such as scripting in pages, extensions and a highly modular architecture |
| Yammer | enterprise and team collaboration software and private social network |
| Zentyal | open source email and groupware solution[buzzword], natively compatible with Microsoft Outlook |
| Zing Technologies | AnyZing and ZingThing, electronic learning and meeting system software for team rooms and networks |
| Zoho Projects | web-based collaboration software for project management |
Comparison of notable software[edit]
Systems listed on a light purple background are no longer in active development.
General Information[edit]
| Name | Creator | Latest stable release | Stable release date | First public release date | Database backend | License | Software product available | SaaS available |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe LiveCycle | Adobe | 9 | 2010 | Filesystem | Proprietary | Yes | No | |
| Alfresco | Alfresco Software | 201901[1] | 2019-02-04[±] | 2005 | LGPL | Yes | Yes | |
| Altova MetaTeam | Altova GmbH | 2013 | 2012 | 2010 | Cloud | Proprietary | No | Yes |
| Assembla | Assembla | Continuous Delivery | 2013 | 2006 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| Collaborate | HighQ | 4.4 | 2018 | 2001 | Proprietary | No | Yes | |
| ConceptDraw Office | CS Odessa | 4.4 | 2018-04-17 | 2008 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| Confluence | Atlassian | 7.0[2] | 2019-09-10[±] | 2004 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| Drupal | Drupal | 8.7.8[3] | 2019-10-02[±] | 2001 | MySQL, Postgres, SQL-Lite | GPL 2, 3 | Yes | |
| Eclipse (suite) | Sapienza Consulting Ltd. | 3.3 | 2014 | 2009 | Oracle | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Edraw Max | EdrawSoft | 8 | 2014 | 2004 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| EGroupware | EGroupware | 16.1 | 2016 | 2003 | MariaDB, MySql, PostgreSQL | GPLv2 | Yes | Yes |
| EMC Documentum eRoom | EMC | 7.4.4 | 2012 | 2003 | Filesystem | Proprietary | Yes | No |
| GoDrive | Linoma Software | 5.0.2 | 2015-01-30 | Jan 15, 2015 | SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, IBM i, DB2, Derby | Proprietary, Free | Yes | No |
| Google Drive | Cloud | Proprietary | No | Yes | ||||
| IBM Connections Suite | IBM | 6 CR5[4] | 2019-05-30[±] | June 27, 2007 | IBM DB2 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| IBM Domino | IBM | 8.5.2 | 2010-08-24 | December 1996 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| IBM Notes | IBM | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | ||||
| IBM Quickr | IBM | 8.5 | IBM Domino, IBM DB2 | Proprietary | ||||
| IBM Sametime | IBM | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | ||||
| ICEFLO | Agenor Technology | v 3.15.0 | 2009 | IBM SoftLayer | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| IceWarp Mail Server | IceWarp | 12.1.1 | 2018-10-30 | 1998 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| InLoox | InLoox, Inc. | 8.1 | 2014-09-18 | 1999 | MS SQL, MySQL, Oracle | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Intraboom | Intraboom | 2.0.13 | 2016-04-28 | 2015 | MS SQL | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Jive | Jive Software | 9.0.7.1[5] | 2019-03-20[±] | 2006 | Oracle, MS SQL, DB2, mySQL, Postgres | Proprietary | ||
| Kolab | The Kolab-Project and Kolab Systems AG | 3.3 | 2014-08-20 | July 17, 2003 | IMAP(File/mail)-based | various Free Software licenses | Yes | Yes |
| Kune | Comunes Collective | 1.0.0 | 2015-03-18 | July 17, 2003 | AGPL | Yes | Yes | |
| LibreOffice Online | The Document Foundation | 6.1.3 | 2018 | 2017 | MPL 2.0 | Yes | No | |
| LogicalDOC | Logical Objects | Community Edition 7.1.2 | 2014 | 2006 | LGPL | Yes | Yes | |
| Microsoft Exchange Server | Microsoft | 2016 | 2011-08-04 | 2007 | Exchange DB | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Live Meeting | Microsoft | 2007 | 2007 | 1997 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| Microsoft Lync Server | Microsoft | 2010 | 2010 | November 2000 | SQL Server or SQL EE | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Office | Microsoft | 2016 | 2016 | 1990 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| Microsoft Project Server | Microsoft | 2010 | 2010-06-15 | 2000 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | |
| Microsoft SharePoint Foundation | Microsoft | 2019[citation needed] | 2018-10-22[±] | 2001 | SQL Server or SQL EE | Proprietary | Yes | No |
| Microsoft SharePoint Server | Microsoft | 2019[citation needed] | 2018-10-22[±] | 2001 | SQL Server or SQL EE | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft SharePoint Workspace | Microsoft | 2019[citation needed] | 2018-10-22[±] | 2007 | Proprietary | Yes | No | |
| Microsoft Team Foundation Server | Microsoft | 2015 | 2015 | 1994 | SQL Server or SQL EE | Proprietary | Yes | No |
| Microsoft Windows Live | Microsoft | 2011 | 2010-09 | November 1, 2005 | Cloud | Proprietary | No | Yes |
| Nefsis | Nefsis | 3.72 | 2011-01-07 | 1998 | Cloud | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Oracle WebCenter | Oracle | 11g | 2009-07 | Proprietary | ||||
| SAP NetWeaver Portal | SAP | 2004 | Proprietary | |||||
| Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware | Tiki Software Community Association | 20[6] | 2019-06-26[±] | October 2002 | MySQL | LGPL | Yes | No |
| TrackerSuite.Net | Automation Centre | 3.6 | 2010-11 | 2006 | SQL Server | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Traction TeamPage | Traction Software | 6.2 (41)[7] | 2019-10-02[±] | December 1, 1999 | NoSQL Journal, MySQL | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| Wrike | Wrike | 2013 | 2007 | 2006 | PostgreSQL | Proprietary | No | Yes |
| WPS Office | Kingsoft | 2019 | 2019-05-06 | 1988 | SQL Server or SQL EE | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| XWiki | XWiki | 11.8[8] | 2019-09-30[±] | May 22, 2007 | MySQL | LGPL | Yes | Yes |
| Xaitporter | Xait | 2014 | 2002 | 2001 | Oracle | Proprietary | No | Yes |
| Zoho Projects | Zoho | 5.0 | 2015-01-20 | August 26, 2006 | MySQL | Proprietary | No | Yes |
| Name | Creator | Latest stable release | Stable release date | First public release date | Database backend | License | Software product available | SaaS available |
Comparison of unified communications features[edit]
| Name | E-mail server | Faxing | Instant messaging | Telephony | Videoconferencing | Web conferencing | Data conferencing | Application sharing | Electronic meeting system | Synchronous conferencing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM Sametime | No, integrated with Lotus Domino | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IBM Lotus Domino | Yes | Yes | Yes with integrated Sametime | Yes with integrated Sametime | Yes with integrated Sametime | Yes with integrated Sametime | No | Yes with integrated Sametime | Yes with integrated Sametime | No |
| IceWarp Mail Server | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Microsoft Exchange Server | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Microsoft Lync Server | No, integrated with Exchange Server | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft SharePoint | No, integrated with Exchange Server | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Name | E-mail server | Faxing | Instant messaging | Telephony | Videoconferencing | Web conferencing | Data conferencing | Application sharing | Electronic meeting system | Synchronous conferencing |
Comparison of collaborative software features[edit]
| Name | Wikis | Web publishing | Calendaring software | Project Management | Workflow system | Document Management | List Management | XML Forms Management and workflow | Discussion | Blogs | Surveys | Time Tracking | Business Intelligence | Charting | Bookmarking, Tagging, Rating and Comments | Social software | Enterprise search | Office suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eclipse (suite) | No, | Yes, via Webservice | Yes, limited | Yes, limited | Yes, limited | Yes | Yes | Yes, simple | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes, limited | No | Yes | Yes, web |
| EGroupware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes, web, webdav |
| Google Apps | Yes, Sites | Yes, Sites | Yes | No | No | Yes, simple | No | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IBM Connections | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes, simple | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| IBM Lotus Domino | No | No | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| IBM Quickr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| IceWarp Mail Server | No | No | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| InLoox | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, limited | Yes | Yes | Yes, MS Office Interface |
| Intraboom | No | No | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes, simple | No | Yes | Yes, simple | No | No | No | Yes | Yes, limited | Yes | No | No |
| Kune | Yes | In development | Yes | Yes, simple | No | Yes | yes, wave-based | No | Yes | Yes | yes (gadget) | No | No | No | In development | Yes | No | Real-time collaborative documents |
| MeisterTask | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes, limited | Yes | No | |||||
| Microsoft Exchange Server | No | No | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Microsoft Office | No | No | No | No | No | Yes, simple | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes, desktop |
| Microsoft Project Server | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Microsoft Sharepoint | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, web |
| Microsoft Team Foundation Server | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Smartsheet | No | Yes[9] | Yes[10] | Yes[11] | Yes[12] | Yes[13] | Yes | No | Yes[14] | No | Yes[15] | Yes[16] | No | Yes[17] | No | No | Yes[18] | Yes, MS Office Interface |
| Traction TeamPage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes, plug-in | Yes, basic | No | Yes, usage charts, API | Yes | Yes, plug-in | Yes | Yes, web, webdav |
| Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, simple | Yes | Yes | Yes (newsletter) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (basic) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, web |
| Wrike | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, web |
| Xaitporter | No | No | Yes, limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, webdav |
| Trello | No | No | Yes, limited | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| XWiki Enterprise | Yes | Yes | Yes, extension | Yes, extension | Yes, extension | Yes, extension | Yes, extension | Yes, extension | Yes, extension | Yes | Yes, extension | No | No | Yes, extension | Yes, and extension for rating | Yes | Yes, (Lucene/SolR) | Yes, web |
| Zoho Projects | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes, limited | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes, limited | Yes | No | Yes, web |
| Name | Wikis | Web publishing | Calendaring software | Project Management | Workflow system | Document Management | List Management | XML Forms Management and workflow | Discussion | Blogs | Surveys | Time Tracking | Business Intelligence | Charting | Bookmarking, Tagging, Rating and Comments | Social software | Enterprise search | Office suite |
Comparison of targets[edit]
| Name | Public | Intranet | Extranet | Personal Sites | Team Sites | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM Connections | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IBM Lotus Domino | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IBM Lotus QuickPlace | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Exchange Server | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Microsoft Office Live Communications Server | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Microsoft Sharepoint | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Team Foundation Server | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name | Public | Intranet | Extranet | Personal Sites | Team Sites | Developer |
Open source software[edit]
The following are open source applications for collaboration:
Standard client–server software[edit]
- Access Grid, for audio and video-based collaboration
- Citadel/UX, with support for native groupware clients (Kontact, Novell Evolution, Microsoft Outlook) and web interface
- EGroupware, with support for native groupware clients (Kontact, Novell Evolution, Microsoft Outlook) and web interface
- Kolab, various native PIM clients
- SOGo, integrated email, calendaring with Apple iCal, Mozilla Thunderbird and native Outlook compatibility
- Spicebird, integrated email, calendaring and chat; Windows and Linux
- Teambox, Basecamp-style project management software with focus on GTD task management and conversations. (Only V3 and prior are open-source.)
- Zentyal, with support for native groupware clients (Kontact, Novell Evolution) natively for Microsoft Outlook and web interface
Groupware: Web-based software[edit]
- Bricolage, content management system
- Collabtive, web-based project management software
- BigBlueButton, Web meetings
- DotNetNuke, also called DNN: module-based, evolved from ASP 1.0 demo applications
- EGroupware, a free open source groupware software intended for businesses from small to enterprises
- EtherPad, collaborative drafting with chat
- FusionForge, has wiki, forums, mailing lists, FTP, SSH, subdomains, hosting, email alias, backups, CVS/SVN, task management
- Group-Office, Web-based groupware for sharing calendars, files, e-mail, CRM, Projects, Mobile Synchronization and much more.
- Jumper 2.0, collaborative search engine and knowledge management platform
- Kolab Groupware, integrated Roundcube web frontend
- Kune, collaborative federated social network, based on Apache Wave
- Loomio, for making decisions together (AGPL).
- MediaWiki, which provides core content management and integrates with many other tools via extensions
- ONLYOFFICE Community Server, available for Microsoft and Linux
- OpenBroadcaster LPFM IPTV broadcast automation tools
- SOGo, integrated email, calendaring with Apple iCal, Mozilla Thunderbird and native Outlook compatibility
- Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware, has wiki, forums, calendar, ticket system, workflow engine
- Tonido, free collaborative software with workspace synchronizing, Web access from personal desktop; cross-platform
- Zarafa, full MAPI MS Exchange replacement for Linux, GPL+proprietary
- Kopano, full MAPI MS Exchange replacement for Linux, GPL+proprietary
Other[edit]
- Alfresco, enterprise content management system: document management, workflow, and portal
- Drupal Framework, open source content management framework: document management, web pages, attachments, forums, photos, social profiles, collaboration tools
- Liferay Enterprise Portal, open source enterprise portal: document management, wiki, social tools, workflow
- LogicalDOC, document management system: document management, workflow
- MySource Matrix, enterprise Web content management system from Squiz
- Nuxeo EP, enterprise content management system: document management, workflow
- OpenKM, open source document management system: document management
Project collaboration software[edit]
Web-based software[edit]
- Ceiton, workflow-based project management with Gantt chart, scheduling calendar and time-tracking
- Central Desktop, has project management, wiki, file upload, review and approve, calendar, document management
- Clarizen, online on-demand, collaborative project execution software
- Collabtive, web-based project management software for distributed teams
- EGroupware, is free open source groupware software intended for businesses from small to enterprises
- Group-Office, Web-based groupware for sharing calendars, files, e-mail, CRM, Projects, Mobile Synchronization and much more.
- GroveSite, online collaboration, project and document management; online relational database
- InLoox, web-based project management and collaboration software with Outlook integration
- Intraboom, web-based collaboration and communication software
- LiquidPlanner, web-based project management and collaboration software
- Mindquarry, has document synchronizing, wiki, task management
- PBworks is a commercial real-time collaborative editing (RTCE) system
- phpGroupWare, has a project collaboration module
- Plone, content management
- Projectplace, full suite of collaborative project tools
- Redmine, for software projects includes issue tracking, wiki, basic file and document management with hooks to major version control systems: SVN, Git, etc.
- TeamLab, has forums, blogs, bookmarks, wiki, task management, instant messaging, mobile version, CRM, online document editors
- Trac, has wiki, document management, ticket system and version control system
- Traction TeamPage integrated action tracking, wiki, live status, notification, and streams organized by person, task, project, and shared permissioned space.
- web2project, a dotproject fork with active current development and some innovations: subprojects, etc.
- WiserEarth, social network and database that include an open-source Groupware (closed)
- Wrike, interactive web-based project management software and tools for remote collaboration
- Zoho Projects, a web-based project management software with collaboration features[19] such as Interactive Feeds, Chat, Calendar, Forum, Wiki Pages and shared Document management
Other[edit]
- Croquet project, collaborative virtual environment
- Open Wonderland, open source Java toolkit to make collaborative 3D virtual worlds
- Wiki engines: see List of wiki software
- Realtime editors: see Collaborative real-time editor
- Revision control for software engineering projects: see Comparison of revision control software
- Tools for collaborative writing such as O'Reilly Media's wiki-like git-managed authoring platform Atlas[20][21]
Comparison[edit]
| Name | Mail transfer agent | Mail storage type | IMAP server | IMAP shared | Calendar format | Calendar shared | IM server | WebDAV | Web UI | Contacts shared | Files shared | Web admin UI | Antivirus | Spam filter | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axigen | SMTP proprietary RFC compliant | proprietary indexed storage | proprietary RFC compliant | Yes | iCal | available from Microsoft Outlook & Webmail | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ClamAV | SpamAssassin, Sieve, others | Mobile synchronizing using full compliant ActiveSync, Ajax GUI, multiplatform, Microsoft Outlook connector with online/offline modes |
| Bynari | SMTP Postfix | IMAP | Cyrus IMAP | Yes | iCal | iCal | Jabber | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ClamAV | SpamAssassin and Sieve | Mobile synchronizing using full compliant ActiveSync, Ajax webapp, Microsoft Outlook connector |
| Citadel/UX | Custom | Berkeley DB | Custom | Yes | iCal | Yes | Yes | GroupDAV and WebCal support | Yes | Yes | various methods | Yes | ClamAV on SpamAssassin | SpamAssassin, or pre-processed with Postfix or qpsmtpd | Hot backups need retained recent database logs |
| Collaber | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Client–server architecture; for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux |
| Collabtive | Sendmail, SMTP | IMAP server dependent, Database | Any IMAP server | Unknown | iCal | Web interface | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | AjaxGUI; runs on any operating system with Apache, PHP and MySQL, e.g. Windows, Linux, macOS; commercial support via Open Dynamics |
| EGroupware | SMTP | IMAP server dependent | Cyrus or any IMAP server | Yes | iCal | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes on Linux- any external | Sieve filters | Ajax GUI, Mobile responsive template, integrates with: mobile devices (Z-Push), any IMAP client |
| Feng Office Community Edition | Sendmail, SMTP | Database or File system | Any IMAP server | No | SQL, iCal | iCal | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Any external (e.g., ClamAV) | Mail server dependent (e.g., SpamAssassin) | AjaxGUI; runs on any operating system with Apache, PHP and MySQL, e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS); commercial support via Feng Office |
| Group-Office | Custom Postfix | IMAP server dependent | Custom | Yes | iCal | Web interface | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ClamAV | SpamAssassin, DSPAM | Synchronizes with: Microsoft Outlook, iPhone, Android, Symbian, Palm OS, Pocket PC, other SyncML or ActiveSync clients |
| Horde | Sendmail, SMTP | No | Cyrus, others | No | No | DB, ICAL export | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | rule-based filtering | integrates into Kolab, has SyncML-interface |
| Intraboom | No | No | No | No | Own, iCal and Outlook support | iCal, Outlook and Google import and export | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Ajax GUI (SPA - single-page application); instant messaging using SignalR; Outlook and Google synchronization |
| Jumper 2.0 | No | No | Custom | No | SQL, iCal | iCal | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Shares any content, media, or data | Yes | No | No | Enterprise bookmarking engine, uses peer and social networking principles to tag and link distributed data resources for universal search regardless of vendor, format, or location |
| Kolab | Postfix | IMAP (Kolab-XML format) and LDAP | Cyrus and (experimental) Dovecot | Yes | iCal and Kolab-XML format | IMAP, iCal- and HTML-Export | No | Yes | Roundcube | IMAP and LDAP | Yes | Yes | ClamAV, others | SpamAssassin, others | Runs on almost all Unix/Linux; integrated Roundcube webfrontend, and ActiveSync (via Syncroton), and serves most common PIM-clients such as Kontact, Microsoft Outlook (with connector plug-in) and others. |
| OpenGroupware | Postfix | Mail Dir | Cyrus | No | No | Export to iCal | XMPP, if purchased | No | No | No | No | If purchased | |||
| Open- Xchange | Postfix[22] | IMAP server dependent[23] | Cyrus, Courier, Dovecot[24] | Yes | iCal[25] | LDAP, CalDAV, Google, Export to iCal[26] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | If purchased | ClamAV, others | SpamAssassin, others | Ajax GUI, Microsoft Outlook integration, tasks module |
| PhpGroupWare | No | No | No | Unknown | Unknown | ICAL | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Quite similar to eGroupWare | ||
| Qontext | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | via sign-in and Nofollow | Collaboration via wiki, blog, discussion, microblogging, quiz, surveys, shared bookmarks, and integrating with browser-based tools like Salesforce.com |
| Simple Groupware | SMTP | IMAP server dependent, Database | Cyrus, Courier IMAP, UW IMAP, others | Yes | SQL, iCal and XML format | Database, ICAL import/export | Built-in chat module | Planned for 0.3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ClamAV, others | Mail server dependent | Synchronizes with: Outlook, Symbian, Pocket PC, mail notifications, document preview |
| Synovel Collabsuite | Postfix | Maildir | Dovecot | Yes | iCal | CalDav | XMPP | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ClamAV | SpamAssassin | Linux-based server with web administration panel; client software for Windows and Linux; rich Ajax-based web access |
| Tine 2.0 | Postfix or any other SMTP Server | SQL | DBMail or other IMAP-server | if IMAP server support | SQL | not yet CalDAV or iCal | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Uses external IMAP server; synchronizes with: Symbian, Palm OS, Pocket PC, other ActiveSync clients |
| Tonido Workspace | No | No | No | No | Synchronizing, Web-based access | Built-in chat module | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Free, for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux; built-in web server allows P2P synchronizing similar to Microsoft Groove and usual guest workspace access via Ajax-based WebUI |
| Twproject | relies on existing SMTP | synchronizes with clients | No | Yes | iCal | iCal | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Synchronizes with: Outlook, Google calendars, mail; full project management module |
| Wrike | No | No | No | No | iCal | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Mobile synchronizing using full compliant Dropbox & Google docs, rich Ajax web access, Microsoft Outlook & iMail connector |
| Zarafa | Postfix, Exim, Qmail, Sendmail, others | MySQL, optional attachments on filesystem | Yes | Public Folder available | Outlook, WebApp, Webaccess, iCal, Z-Merge | Outlook, WebApp, Webaccess, Z-Merge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ClamAV, others | SpamAssassin, others | HTML5 WebApp (with Videoconferencing functionality and (large) file sharing), Ajax WebAccess, online and offline Outlook compatibility, fully ActiveSync compatible using Z-Push (Symbian, Pocket PC, iPhone (firmware 2.X), Nokia (mail4Exchange)), integrates with AD and LDAP, own serverside integration framework Z-Merge |
| Kopano | Postfix, Exim, Qmail, Sendmail, others | MySQL, optional attachments on filesystem | Yes | Public Folder available | Outlook, WebApp, iCal, Z-Merge | Outlook, WebApp, Z-Merge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ClamAV, others | SpamAssassin, others | HTML5 WebApp (with Videoconferencing functionality and (large) file sharing), Ajax WebAccess, online and offline Outlook compatibility, fully ActiveSync compatible using Z-Push (Symbian, Pocket PC, iPhone (firmware 2.X), Nokia (mail4Exchange)), integrates with AD and LDAP, own serverside integration framework Z-Merge |
| Zentyal | Postfix | IMAP server dependent | Dovecot | No | Outlook, Webaccess, iCal | Outlook, Webaccess | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | ClamAV | SpamAssassin | Ajax Web UI, online and offline Outlook native compatibility, fully ActiveSync compatible using SOGo integrates with SambaAD server |
| Zimbra | Custom Postfix | Mail Dir w/ index db | Custom | No | iCal | ICAL | (Removed in v8) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ClamAV | SpamAssassin, DSPAM | |
| Name | Mail transfer agent | Mail storage type | IMAP server | IMAP shared | Calendar format | Calendar shared | IM server | WebDAV | Web UI | Contacts shared | Files shared | Web admin UI | Antivirus | Spam filter | Notes |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Alfresco Community Edition 201901 GA Release Notes'. alfresco.com. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
- ^'Confluence Release Notes'. atlassian.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^'Releases for Drupal core'. Drupal Project. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- ^'Administering Connections 6 CR5'. ibm.com. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
- ^'Performance Improvements and Fixed Issues in Jive Hosted on Premise 9.0.7.1'. jivesoftware.com. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
- ^https://tiki.org/article461-Tiki-20-0-codename-Tarazed-Released
- ^'TeamPage Changelog'. tractionsoftware.com. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ^'Download XWiki'. XWiki.org. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^'Publishing Sheets & Reports'. Smartsheet. December 3, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Calendars'. Smartsheet. July 3, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Online Project Management Templates'. Smartsheet. May 13, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^Grant, Rebecca (December 3, 2012). 'Smartsheet gets $26M to keep enterprise workflow under control'. VentureBeat. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^Bly, Robert (December 2010). Make Every Second Count : Time Management Tips and Techniques for More Success with Less Stress. Career Press, Incorporated. ISBN9781601631336. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Using Discussions'. Smartsheet. December 3, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Smart Survey Tool'. Smartsheet. July 23, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Time Tracker for Client Projects Template with Form'. Smartsheet. May 13, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Gantt Charts'. Smartsheet. July 5, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Searching in Smartsheet'. Smartsheet. December 3, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^'Collaboration Software Web : Zoho Projects'. www.zoho.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ^King, Carla (1 April 2014). '6 Great Self-Publishing Tools for Small Press and Author Co-Ops'. PBS.org. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^'Getting Started with Atlas'. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^'Licenses for OX as a Service'. Open-Xchange. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^Will, Karsten (2015-01-20). 'Open-Xchange Architecture Overview'. Oxpedia. Open-Xchange. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
Email storage … The default implementation uses IMAP
- ^'OX App Suite Requirements - Open-Xchange supported components overview'. Oxpedia. Open-Xchange. 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
Supported IMAP Server: Dovecot (Recommended), Cyrus and Courier (To some extent, may mot support all features)
- ^'Open-Xchange FAQ for Users'. Oxpedia. Open-Xchange. 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^Will, Karsten (2015-01-20). 'Open-Xchange Architecture Overview'. Oxpedia. Open-Xchange. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
Back at the early dawn of prehistory, we used to reserve our use of the word platform to denote a complete software programming development environment and underlying subsystem with language, runtime, components and all associated libraries and binaries. The result of using a platform (Microsoft .NET or Java for example) was a software application, which in later years even your grandmother would start to call “an app” – and then the Earth cooled.In the next age of man, a platform became something slightly different. Where we used to think of a platform as the underlying computer system, we now probably have to accept the fact that the industry considers a platform to be anything that you can build upon. To be clearer, a platform could be your smartphone i.e. it has its own device form factor and its own ability to interconnect with other software streams, therefore it’s a platform that you can do other things with that were not originally envisaged at the time of its initial design – and this is the important point.
What we learn from Facebook
Love it or loathe it, Facebook is a good example of a platform AND a software product; and it is this duality that helps to explain the differentiation. The Facebook application is a software product, it’s an app. You can log into it online and use it as a web service, or you can download it to your device and log in to a connected app. Crucially though, Facebook is also a platform for other apps.
“The platform element is the exposure of the social graph to external applications which enable a different set of use cases,” writes programming blogger Ben Foster.
We can now program standalone applications without a platform, or perhaps use the web itself as our underlying substrata, but generally speaking we can still say that programming is easier when there is a platform in place.
Tech blogger Jonathan Clarks helps build the argument here, “Platforms are structures that allow multiple products to be built within the same technical framework. Companies invest in platforms in the hope that future products can be developed faster and cheaper, than if they built them stand-alone. Today it is much more important to think of a platform as a business framework. By this I mean a framework that allows multiple business models to be built and supported. For instance, Amazon is an online retail framework. Amazon started by selling books. Over time they have expanded to selling all sorts of other things. Apple iTunes started by selling tracks and now uses the same framework to sell videos.”
Aggrandizing swagger & spin
So why all this postulating and clarification? Well okay this week sees the CeBit technical exhibition and conference hosted in Hannover, Germany. Using the show as a product unveiling platform (pun intended) this year was Software AG. The firm has launched its Digital Business Platform which it says operates “at the interface” between real-time business operations and changing customer and market requirements. Alarm bells start ringing immediately i.e. is this really a platform, or is the firm rebranding some of its existing software with a bit of aggrandizing swagger and spin?
Software AG CTO Wolfram Jost insists that, “The Digital Business Platform provides the foundation necessary to develop and deploy differentiating business applications, developed together with the business departments, in short and easily foreseeable release cycles. Traditional packaged applications are not designed for this type of development approach.”
So what Jost is saying is that software PRODUCTS (i.e. applications) come with predefined business logic that narrows their ultimate breadth of scope. Conversely then, PLATFORMS separate out the logic functions of applications so that an IT structure can be built for change. If Software AG’s argument holds water, then a firm’s application platform can be doing something markedly different five years after it was firm laid down. Kind of like the Amazon and iTunes examples.
Back at the early dawn of prehistory, we used to reserve our use of the word platform to denote a complete software programming development environment and underlying subsystem...
The elements of logic here include:
- Integration logic
- Process logic
- Decision logic (including big data analytics)
“Platform beats a product every time,' says Jost -- and by this he means that firms should approach software applications that they may only end up using for say a couple of years in their initial form. “Software application development must evolve to reach a new level of adaptive applications that can be modified and adjusted (very often rapidly). This is because no single software vendor can foresee the business logic of a customer company for more than a couple of years,” he said.
Software AG says that its ‘platform’ allows fast and cost effective development and deployment of a new type of customer facing, front office business application. It also provides an approach to designing and implementing the flexible and cost effective IT architectures needed to support these adaptive applications.
According to a press launch statement, “The Digital Business Platform is therefore of interest to many departments within the enterprise. From the CIO implementing an optimal, cost effective and flexible IT architecture to departmental business managers who need to quickly develop adaptive applications at the individual, departmental or divisional levels.”
So there is evidently a difference between a (software) product and a platform – and there is evidently a new definition of what we should consider a technology platform to be. Software has now moved from its previous ‘proven’ mode where it was stable, certain, systematic and mostly predictable to a new state of ‘agile’ where it is flexible, uncertain, exploratory and opportunistic. There’s still plenty of industry spin associated with the term platform, but digitization is driving home some new truths. Change is constant, so make plans to change plans.
Editorial disclosure: Software AG paid for most of Adrian Bridgwater's travel expenses to attend CeBit 2015.
'>Back at the early dawn of prehistory, we used to reserve our use of the word platform to denote a complete software programming development environment and underlying subsystem with language, runtime, components and all associated libraries and binaries. The result of using a platform (Microsoft .NET or Java for example) was a software application, which in later years even your grandmother would start to call “an app” – and then the Earth cooled.
In the next age of man, a platform became something slightly different. Where we used to think of a platform as the underlying computer system, we now probably have to accept the fact that the industry considers a platform to be anything that you can build upon. To be clearer, a platform could be your smartphone i.e. it has its own device form factor and its own ability to interconnect with other software streams, therefore it’s a platform that you can do other things with that were not originally envisaged at the time of its initial design – and this is the important point.
What we learn from Facebook
Love it or loathe it, Facebook is a good example of a platform AND a software product; and it is this duality that helps to explain the differentiation. The Facebook application is a software product, it’s an app. You can log into it online and use it as a web service, or you can download it to your device and log in to a connected app. Crucially though, Facebook is also a platform for other apps.
“The platform element is the exposure of the social graph to external applications which enable a different set of use cases,” writes programming blogger Ben Foster.
We can now program standalone applications without a platform, or perhaps use the web itself as our underlying substrata, but generally speaking we can still say that programming is easier when there is a platform in place.
Tech blogger Jonathan Clarks helps build the argument here, “Platforms are structures that allow multiple products to be built within the same technical framework. Companies invest in platforms in the hope that future products can be developed faster and cheaper, than if they built them stand-alone. Today it is much more important to think of a platform as a business framework. By this I mean a framework that allows multiple business models to be built and supported. For instance, Amazon is an online retail framework. Amazon started by selling books. Over time they have expanded to selling all sorts of other things. Apple iTunes started by selling tracks and now uses the same framework to sell videos.”
Aggrandizing swagger & spin
So why all this postulating and clarification? Well okay this week sees the CeBit technical exhibition and conference hosted in Hannover, Germany. Using the show as a product unveiling platform (pun intended) this year was Software AG. The firm has launched its Digital Business Platform which it says operates “at the interface” between real-time business operations and changing customer and market requirements. Alarm bells start ringing immediately i.e. is this really a platform, or is the firm rebranding some of its existing software with a bit of aggrandizing swagger and spin?
Software AG CTO Wolfram Jost insists that, “The Digital Business Platform provides the foundation necessary to develop and deploy differentiating business applications, developed together with the business departments, in short and easily foreseeable release cycles. Traditional packaged applications are not designed for this type of development approach.”
So what Jost is saying is that software PRODUCTS (i.e. applications) come with predefined business logic that narrows their ultimate breadth of scope. Conversely then, PLATFORMS separate out the logic functions of applications so that an IT structure can be built for change. If Software AG’s argument holds water, then a firm’s application platform can be doing something markedly different five years after it was firm laid down. Kind of like the Amazon and iTunes examples.
Back at the early dawn of prehistory, we used to reserve our use of the word platform to denote a complete software programming development environment and underlying subsystem...
The elements of logic here include:
- Integration logic
- Process logic
- Decision logic (including big data analytics)
“Platform beats a product every time,' says Jost -- and by this he means that firms should approach software applications that they may only end up using for say a couple of years in their initial form. “Software application development must evolve to reach a new level of adaptive applications that can be modified and adjusted (very often rapidly). This is because no single software vendor can foresee the business logic of a customer company for more than a couple of years,” he said.
Software AG says that its ‘platform’ allows fast and cost effective development and deployment of a new type of customer facing, front office business application. It also provides an approach to designing and implementing the flexible and cost effective IT architectures needed to support these adaptive applications.
According to a press launch statement, “The Digital Business Platform is therefore of interest to many departments within the enterprise. From the CIO implementing an optimal, cost effective and flexible IT architecture to departmental business managers who need to quickly develop adaptive applications at the individual, departmental or divisional levels.”
Software Platform Names
So there is evidently a difference between a (software) product and a platform – and there is evidently a new definition of what we should consider a technology platform to be. Software has now moved from its previous ‘proven’ mode where it was stable, certain, systematic and mostly predictable to a new state of ‘agile’ where it is flexible, uncertain, exploratory and opportunistic. There’s still plenty of industry spin associated with the term platform, but digitization is driving home some new truths. Change is constant, so make plans to change plans.
Software Platforms Examples Free
Editorial disclosure: Software AG paid for most of Adrian Bridgwater's travel expenses to attend CeBit 2015.